Banned Books: Building Skills for Civic Action and Civil Debate

Jennifer Ehehalt is the Pittsburgh Regional Manager at Common Sense Education. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in education. She continues to partner with state-level organizations, school districts, and community organizations across the nation to help integrate Common Sense education resources. Jennifer provides educational leadership through consultation with school districts, professional development-both in-person and virtual, conference presentations, and parent university’s. Jennifer sits on the Advisory Council for Kidsburgh and is a champion for Remake Learning Days Across America. Jennifer has a B.S in Elementary Education and an M. Ed. in Educational Leadership. Jennifer was recently named 2019 Alumni of the Year from Edinboro University.

Sue Thotz is a senior program manager for Common Sense Education. In 2011, Sue began working for Common Sense in Chicago by partnering with educators and parents to help them create a culture where students use technology in a meaningful, thoughtful, and respectful way. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2014, Sue has provided educational leadership through motivating keynotes, professional development workshops, conference presentations, and consulting with districts across Southern California.

Prior to Common Sense, Sue was a researcher and educator. She worked with Abt Associates to manage an experimental study evaluating the efficacy of a computer-based literacy curriculum across 44 randomized Chicago public schools. Through the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Sue conducted research on community food security,eventually teaching those same assessment methods to high school students to take civic action in their own neighborhoods. Sue conducted qualitative interviews evaluating nutritional practices among rural women in Vietnam using a community-based participatory Photovoice technique in partnership with the National Institute of Nutrition. Sue holds a master's degree in public health and an undergraduate degree in zoology and chemistry. She lives in a small house with a 13-year-old reader, an 11-year-old gamer, and a most clever musician. Follow her on Twitter @suethotz.