This collaboration between the Howard Center, The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and PBS NewsHour revealed that high school girls are still at a disadvantage nearly 50 years after Congress passed the sweeping Title IX law that guarantees equity for girls and boys in school-based athletics. In nearly a dozen stories and a national poll, the investigation illustrated girls’ second-class status, explained why the law isn’t working and examined solutions to fix the situation.

Title IX, which passed in 1972, is a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at any school that receives funding from the federal government, including in sports programs. While Title IX has led to a significant increase in girls playing scholastic sports, it has fallen short of achieving equity for high school girls in areas such as facilities, equipment, scheduling and publicity, the four-month, student-led investigation found.