Illustration courtesy of Olaf Hajek awards media sense common 2016 OUR MISSION
Common Sense is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. WELCOME TO THE COMMON SENSE MEDIA AWARDS
We’re thrilled to be back in New York City, where so much great media and work for kids and families originate. Tonight’s event is all about helping young people harness the power of technology for creative expression, learning, and making the world a better place for the next generation.
It’s amazing to see how both the world and Common Sense have changed in just the past few years. We’ve always known that media and technology inform how our kids perceive, play, and learn. Yet groundbreaking developments over the last few years have solidified the notion that today’s technological revolution is changing the very nature of childhood.
Today’s “always on” generation is connected to everyone and everything, whether it’s through the computers in their homes, the increasing presence of laptops and tablets in their classrooms, or the mobile devices in their pockets.
In a world where our kids now create as much media as they consume, it’s essential that parents, educators, and policymakers do everything they can to ensure that our children will be safe, responsible, and savvy digital citizens. And that’s why we’re here: to be the unparalleled champion that America’s kids and families need to make their lives better in the 21st century.
As we always say: We rate, educate, and advocate. Common Sense’s unique ratings and reviews platform evaluates media and technology for quality, age-appropriateness, and learning potential for more than 45 million users annually. Similarly, our trusted advice and research helps parents, educators, and policymakers manage media and technology’s day-to-day effects on our kids. And finally, through our expanded advocacy platform, Common Sense Kids Action, we’re the nation’s leading voice focused on making kids and education America’s top priority.
Tonight is an opportunity to celebrate the visionaries and leaders who are embracing media and technology to make our world a better place for kids. We’re honored that you’ve joined us, and we’re excited to show you all the ways in which Common Sense has grown and changed. As always, thank you for your extraordinarily generous support for our work for kids, families, and schools across New York and the entire nation.
Jim Steyer Amy Guggenheim Shenkan Bill Price CEO and Founder COO and President Board Chair 2016 HONOREES Nza-Ari Khepra Social Change Catalyst Award
Zootopia Best Family Media Award
Marie Belle Vargas Educator of the Year Award
Bill Nye Educational Creator Award
SPECIAL GUESTS The Honorable Julián Castro Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Tom Wheeler Chairman, U.S. Federal Communications Commission
PERFORMANCES BY Robert McDuffie Grammy-nominated violinist
PS22 Chorus TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2016 6:00 PM Reception 583 Park Avenue 6:45 PM Awards Show New York City 8:15 PM Supper Buffet
The Common Sense Media Awards pay tribute to the innovative media creators, educators, policymakers, and visionaries who are transforming the way kids learn, grow, and thrive in a 24/7 digitally connected world.
HOSTED BY Claire Shipman Journalist, author, and public speaker HOST
Claire Shipman is a journalist, author, and public speaker. She is an expert on confidence and women’s leadership, and her latest book, The Confidence Code, was a New York Times best seller and the subject of an April 2014 Atlantic magazine cover story co-authored by BBC journalist Katty Kay. Womenomics (2009), also by Kay and Shipman, was another New York Times best-seller. Shipman joined ABC in 2001, where she reports on women’s issues; her stories have covered everything from politics to international affairs and social issues. Before ABC she covered the White House and the Clinton administration for NBC. She also spent a decade at CNN, where she covered the White House and spent five years at the Moscow bureau covering the collapse of the Soviet Union. She’s received numerous awards for her reporting, including a Peabody, a DuPont, and an Emmy. Shipman holds a graduate degree in international affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a bachelor of arts in Russian studies from Columbia College at Columbia University. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Jay Carney, and their two children, Hugo and Della. SOCIAL CHANGE CATALYST AWARD
Nza-Ari Khepra is a student at Columbia University, majoring in economics. During her junior year of high school, her friend Hadiya Pendleton lost her life to gun violence. In response to Hadiya’s death and Chicago’s growing gun violence, Khepra and her close friends founded a youth-led awareness campaign called Project Orange Tree to educate kids about violence and the social structures that lead to it. The tree, they say, represents life and prosperity. They chose orange as a way to symbolize the value of human life, because hunters wear the color to warn other hunters not to shoot; Khepra and her friends wanted to apply that same concept to the violence in our cities. Project Orange Tree’s symbolism became the inspiration behind 2015’s annual Wear Orange campaign, which aims to end gun violence across America and marks June 2, Hadiya’s birthday, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. That simple call to action has grown into a national movement, and, increasingly, orange is becoming the symbol of gun safety. The New York Mets, Julianne Moore, Padma Lakshmi, Russell Simmons, Jason Bateman, Amnesty International, and other well-known organizations and individuals have become participants in this effort. By using social media to turn tragedy into a meaningful violence-awareness effort, Khepra has become a role model for kids and for people of all ages. BEST FAMILY MEDIA AWARD Accepted by: Clark Spencer, Producer Nate Torrence, voice of “Clawhauser”
The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprising habitat neighborhoods such as ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together —a place where, no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde, to solve the mystery. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia is a comedy-adventure directed by Byron Howard (Tangled, Bolt) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph, The Simpsons) and co-directed by Jared Bush (Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero). It opened in theaters on March 4, 2016. Upon its release, Zootopia was awarded the Common Sense Seal, which recognizes movies and TV series and specials that offer families an exceptional media experience and meet our highest editorial standards for entertainment, in addition to offering worthwhile themes, messages, and role models. Common Sense Seal honorees such as Zootopia have the potential to spark conversations, entertain families of all types, and make a significant, lasting impact on individuals within a family or on the culture as a whole. EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
Marie B. Vargas, the library media specialist at PS1x in New York City, is determined to help close the digital divide. She holds master’s degrees in library and information science and in bilingual education and has more than 20 years of experience working with bilingual and English-speaking students. Early on, Vargas realized that for high-poverty, high-need schools with bilingual students, integrating technology in the classroom would present a challenge that could not be solved by simply providing schools with computers. Many of her second- through fifth-grade students did not have Internet access or computers at home and didn’t know how to use new technologies. To tackle this challenge, she made her library available to students before and after school and held special events to allow children, as well as their parents, the opportunity to learn more about the safe and responsible use of technology. From there, Vargas began working with teachers across New York City to help develop creative ways to integrate technology in all classrooms. She has presented at Lehman College and various educational technology conferences, including the 2012 ISTE conference with the Bronx Office of Educational Technology. She is an Edmodo Certified Trainer, Common Sense Digital Citizenship Certified Educator, and the 2015 NYCDOE Excellence in School Technology Award recipient. Her dedication to finding a whole-community approach to digital citizenship has set her apart as a champion and ally for students and their families in New York City and around the nation. EDUCATIONAL CREATOR AWARD
Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society to help people everywhere understand and appreci- ate the science that makes our world work. His early fascination with how bicycles, airplanes, and other things work led him to Cornell University and a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977. After being recruited by Boeing in Seattle, Nye developed dual careers as an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night. Eventually, he quit his day job to become a writer and performer on Seattle’s homegrown ensemble comedy show Almost Live in 1986, where “Bill Nye the Science Guy®” was born. With fellow KING-TV alumni Jim McKenna and Erren Gottlieb, Nye made a number of award-winning shows, including Bill Nye the Science Guy, where he won seven prime-time Emmy Awards for writing, performing, and producing. Nye has written five kids’ books about science and plans to write his next about space exploration. He partnered with Disney to write and produce his DVD series, Solving for X, which shows us how to do algebra along with the P, B, & J — the Passion, Beauty, and Joy — of math. It turns out that algebra is the most reliable indicator of whether a student will end up pursuing a career in science. With more kids, and girls especially, engaged in math, Nye hopes we’ll have more scientists and especially engineers to make the world healthier for all of us. Nye is the CEO of the Planetary Society, the world’s largest space-interest group. He wants to empower the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration and to know the cosmos and our place within it. Through all his work, Nye hopes to inspire people everywhere to change the world. PERFORMANCES BY
Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie enjoys a dynamic and multifaceted career. In addition to appearing as a soloist with the world’s foremost orchestras, he can be found sharing the stage with Gregg Allman and Chuck Leavell to perform “Mid- night Rider,” with actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith in Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, or playing Bach for Memphis jook dancer Lil Buck. Philip Glass dedicated his second violin concerto, The American Four Seasons, to him, and Mike Mills of the iconic band R.E.M. is currently composing a concerto for violin and rock band for him. McDuffie is the founder of both the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in his native city of Macon, Georgia, and the Rome Chamber Music Festival in Italy; the mayor of Rome awarded him the prestigious Premio Simpatia in recognition of his contribution to the city’s cultural life. He served for 10 years on the board of directors of the Harlem School of the Arts in New York City, where he was chairman of the artistic and education committee. On June 17, 2016, he will perform the world premiere of Mills Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and Orchestra with the Toronto Symphony. In 2017, he will tour the U.S. with the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, alternating the Barber Violin Concerto with Glass’ The American Four Seasons. The tour will begin at Carnegie Hall on Glass’s 80th birthday (January 31) with a performance of The American Four Seasons. McDuffie holds the Mansfield and Genelle Jennings Distinguished University Professor Chair at Mercer University in Macon. He plays a 1735 Guarneri del Gesù violin, known as the “Ladenburg”; the instrument is owned by a limited partnership formed by McDuffie. He lives in New York City with his wife, Camille. They are proud parents of Eliza and Will.
The PS22 Chorus is an elementary school chorus from Public School 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island. Founded in 2000 by director Gregg Breinberg, the group is made up of 65 fifth- graders from the largest elementary school in Staten Island and draws students from a wide cross section of ethnic groups and socioeconomic levels. Students audition at the beginning of the year and meet as a group twice a week during school hours to practice. The PS22 Chorus performs throughout the year at school functions, at local events, and on special request and has performed with notable musicians including Katy Perry, Gavin Degraw, Carrie Underwood, and Fifth Harmony. The chorus has appeared on numerous national and international broadcasts throughout the years, including at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011, where they sang a widely celebrated rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” SPECIAL GUESTS
Julián Castro is the 16th secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In this role, Castro over- sees 8,000 employees and a budget of $46 billion, using a performance-driven approach to achieve the department’s mission of expanding opportunity for all Americans. Castro’s focus as secretary is ensuring that HUD is a transpar- ent, efficient, and effective champion for the people it serves. Utilizing an evidence-based management style, he has charged the department with one goal: giving every person, regardless of station in life, new opportunities to thrive. Under Castro’s leadership, the Federal Housing Administra- tion lowered mortgage insurance premiums to make homeownership more affordable for responsible families. HUD also released its new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule to fulfill the promise of the Fair Housing Act: to help families access strong neighborhoods with housing choice vouchers and empower local leaders with tools to invest in their communities. In July of 2015, President Obama helped launch one of Secretary Castro’s signature projects, ConnectHome, which accelerates Internet adoption in 28 communities, providing broadband and electronic devices to children living in public and assisted housing. Before HUD, Castro served as mayor of the City of San Antonio. During his tenure, he became known as a national leader in urban development. In 2010, the city launched the Decade of Downtown initiative to spark investment in San Antonio’s center city and older neighbor- hoods, which attracted $350 million in private sector investment and will produce more than 2,400 housing units by the end of 2020. In March 2010, Castro was named to the World Economic Forum’s list of “Young Global Leaders.” Later that year, Time magazine placed him on its “40 Under 40” list of rising stars in American politics. Secretary Castro received a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He and his wife, Erica, have a daughter, Carina, and a son, Cristian. Tom Wheeler is the 31st chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). For over three decades, Chairman Wheeler has been involved with new telecommunications networks and services, experiencing the revolution in telecommunications as a policy expert, an advocate, and a businessman. Prior to joining the FCC, Chairman Wheeler was managing director at Core Capital Partners, a venture capital firm invest- ing in early stage Internet protocol (IP)-based companies. He served as president and CEO of Shiloh Group, LLC, a strategy development and private investment company specializing in telecommunications services, and co-founded SmartBrief, the Internet’s largest electronic information service for vertical markets. Following his role as president and CEO of the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) from 1979–1984, Chairman Wheeler was CEO of several high-tech companies, including the first company to offer high-speed delivery of data to home computers and the first digital video satellite service. From 1992 to 2004, Chairman Wheeler served as president and CEO of the Cellular Tele- communications & Internet Association (CTIA). Chairman Wheeler wrote Take Command: Leadership Lessons of the Civil War (Doubleday, 2000) and Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails: The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War (HarperCollins, 2006). His commentaries on current events have been published in the Washington Post, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, and other leading publications. Presidents Clinton and Bush each appointed Chairman Wheeler as a trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he served for 12 years. He is also the former chairman and president of the Foundation for the National Archives, the nonprofit organization dedicated to telling the American story through its documents, and a former board member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Chairman Wheeler is a proud graduate of the Ohio State University and the recipient of its Alumni Medal. He resides in Washington, D.C. To Our Co-Chairs and Host Committee Members
We simply would not be here without you. Thank you for your incredible generosity and exceptional efforts in making tonight’s Common Sense Media Awards a huge success!
With deepest gratitude from all of us at EVENT CO-CHAIRS Angelique & Jim Bell Rachel & Mark Dalton Lynne & Marc Benioff Steve & Roberta Denning Nancy & Frank Bynum Jennifer & Andrew Hoine John H. N. Fisher & Jennifer Caldwell Eva & Bill Price Jill Davis & Ed Conard Miyoung Lee & Neil Simpkins Penny & Jim Coulter Kat Taylor & Tom Steyer
HOST COMMITTEE
Carrie & Leigh Abramson Katie Hall & Tom Knutsen Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos Mara & Dean Landis Marcy Carsey Rochelle & David Ludwig Ray Cortines Camille & Bobby McDuffie Linda Burch & Rajen Dalal Gregory J. O’Melia George P. Davison Nancy Peretsman & Bob Scully Martin Gibson & Bill Dessoffy Susan Sachs Haley Rockwell & Joe Elmlinger Amy Guggenheim Shenkan & Ed Shenkan Jan & Tom Geniesse Lauren Shortt Rosemarie & Tony Goncalves Kathleen Signer Arianna Huffington Liana & John Slater Jane & Alex Jackson Jane & Lloyd Sprung Martha & Bruce Karsh Margaret & Allan Steyer Lucinda Lee Katz Liz & Jim Steyer Molly King Becky Walker Jessie & Tim Kisling Michele & Tyler Wolfram Kim Larson & Gary Knell 2016 COMMON SENSE MEDIA AWARD SPONSORS Common Sense is profoundly grateful to our corporate and individual event sponsors for their incredibly generous support.
HERO
John H.N. Fisher & Jennifer Caldwell Kat Taylor & Tom Steyer Jill Davis & Ed Conard Tracy & Gene Sykes Eva & Bill Price
ADVOCATE
Entertainment GROUP
Penny & Jim Coulter Andrew & Jennifer Hoine Martha & Bruce Karsh Miyoung Lee & Neil Simpkins
As of April 20, 2016. LUMINARY
Carrie & Leigh Abramson Ann & Paul Chen Marie & Bill McGlashan Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos Katie Hall & Tom Knutsen Diane & Tom Tuft Nancy & Frank Bynum Rochelle & David Ludwig
ENTREPRENEUR
Tribune Media Company Charitable Foundation
Diana Nelson & John Atwater Jessie & Tim Kisling Margaret & Allan Steyer Daphne Yeoh & Tai Hsia Ann & Ned Lamont
TUTOR
Linda Burch & Rajen Dalal Rosemarie & Tony Goncalves Jane & Lloyd Sprung Rachel & Mark Dalton The Scully Peretsman Foundation Liz & Jim Steyer Jan & Tom Geniesse Liana & John Slater WHAT WE DO Media and technology are at the very center of all lives today — especially for kids. Learning how to use media and technology wisely is an essential skill for life and learning in the 21st century. But parents, teachers, and policymakers struggle to keep up with the rapidly changing digital world. Now more than ever, they need a trusted guide to help them navigate a world in which change is the only constant. Today we are the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a constantly evolving media and technology world.
WE RATE Common Sense Media helps tens of millions of families make smart media choices. We offer the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based and educational ratings and reviews for movies, games, apps, TV shows, websites, and books. We partner with the leading media and technology companies to put our tools and content into the hands of over 45 million parents and caregivers, providing them with the confidence and knowledge to navigate a fast-changing digital landscape.
WE EDUCATE Common Sense Education provides teachers and schools with the tools and training to help students harness technology for learning and life. Our K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum reaches over 100,000 schools and 5 million students each year, creating a generation of responsible digital citizens. Our advanced Common Sense Graphite education ratings and teacher-training platform help over a quarter of a million teachers better use the new educational tools, apps, and technologies to enhance their teaching and propel student learning.
WE ADVOCATE Common Sense Kids Action is helping to guarantee that children are our nation’s No. 1 priority. Common Sense is working on national, state, and local levels with leading policymakers, industry leaders, and activists to shape the policies and create awareness around the critical issues facing our children in the 21st century. We are leading the charge to close the digital divide in classrooms, to protect our children’s privacy, and to bring awareness and understanding to the issues of childhood development and technology. The media and technology that run through kids’ lives today are evolving at a dizzying pace, bringing both extraordinary opportunities and real challenges. Achieving a healthy approach to media and technology can make a big difference in kids’ lives. Those who learn to use digital media wisely can accomplish amazing things: learn new skills, explore new worlds, build new ideas, and change the world. Yet every kid is different. Parents and teachers need help so they can best assist kids in navigating this 24/7 digital world. Now more than ever, they need a trusted guide to help them navigate a world where change is the only constant. Since our founding in 2003, Common Sense has built our reputation as the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families thrive in a world of media and technology. We offer a comprehensive and trusted free library of over 26,000 media ratings and reviews, covering books, movies, music, TV shows, games, apps, and websites, evaluating media for age-appropriateness and learning potential to help parents, grandparents, and kids make great educational and entertainment choices. In 2015, Common Sense launched Common Sense Latino, a dedicated Spanish- language resource for Latino parents to address the large and growing population of Latino families in the U.S. And, as always, all our resources are delivered for free via the Common Sense website and mobile apps and through our 22 major media and distribution partners who extend our reach to tens of millions of homes across the country. We know that while every child is different, all families need information to make great media choices, make learning fun for their kids, and help build skills that the next generation will need to succeed in the 21st century. OUR IMPACT
Major media partners 22
Common Sense Seal TV recipients 53
Common Sense Seal movie recipients 58
Parent advice tips 500
Media reviews for families 26,000
People reached through platforms 28,000,000
Unique visitors to our website and app 34,000,000 Technology provides incredible opportunities for students to learn, connect, create, and collaborate in ways never before imagined. But navigating cyber- bullying, privacy, safety, and other digital dilemmas are a real challenge for schools. That’s why Common Sense Education is empowering educators across the country to harness the power of technology to improve learning outcomes and prepare students to participate responsibly in learning and life. Since 2008, Common Sense Education has been helping schools build a positive school culture that supports the safe and responsible use of technology through our K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum. The curriculum includes comprehensive resources for students, such as lesson plans, student digital games (Digital Passport, Digital Compass, and Digital Bytes) and assessments, as well as materials for family education in English and Spanish and professional development for teachers. Students build skills around critical thinking, ethical discussion, and decision making, covering topics such as privacy, cyberbullying, and searching effectively online. The curriculum currently reaches well over 100,000 schools and 5 million students each year, though we have ambitious goals to have an even greater impact. Over the next three years, we will be developing the next generation of our K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum to empower 100 percent of school-age children with the skills to become responsible digital citizens. In 2013 we introduced Common Sense Graphite, our innovative online platform that helps teachers reach beyond the pages of their textbooks and the walls of their classrooms. With its 2,500 ratings and reviews of apps, games, and websites based on their learning potential, we are supporting teachers in discovering high-quality digital products that can enhance their teaching. And with our comprehensive lesson plans, tips videos, and other advice-focused content, nearly a quarter of a million teachers a month are learning not only what to teach but also how to teach with technology. Our plans to further advance teaching practice include the creation of new tools, deeper training, expanded ratings, and community features. Common Sense Education’s overarching goal is to ensure that our K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum, educational technology product ratings, and training programs are used in all of America’s 132,000 schools by over 1 million teachers to educate 25 million students. OUR IMPACT
Edtech product reviews 2,500
Member schools 107,000
Member teachers 320,000
Digital Passports issued to 3rd- to 5th-grade students 330,000
iBook downloads of our K–12 curriculum 1,250,000
Digital Compass games completed by middle schoolers 1,270,000
Students educated 5,000,000 The mission of Common Sense Kids Action is to make kids America’s top priority. With more than 45 million Common Sense users, more than 300,000 educators in 100,000 schools who use Common Sense’s resources, and potential advocates in every home and school across the nation, we are building a movement dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive in our rapidly changing world. Our Kids Action Agenda focuses on the building blocks of opportunity for all kids: • High-quality early childhood, including child care, pre-K, nutrition, and preventive health care • 21st-century schools designed and funded to ensure that every student graduates college- and career-ready with high-quality and well-trained teachers, access to a rigorous core curriculum and innovative career pathways, broadband in every class- room and at home, and privacy rules to protect their personal data • A positive media and technology world, including the privacy that people of all ages, and particularly children, deserve in school, at home, and throughout their lives, as well as guidance on how to be responsible digital citizens who make smart choices when online • Commonsense support for families, including policies that address poverty and other barriers to children getting the right start and that support working families, such as paid sick and family and medical leave, fair pay, Earned Income and Child Tax credits, and child care benefits Common Sense Kids Action fights for these priorities on behalf of kids and families every- where—in our home state of California, our nation’s capital, and states across the country, where we franchise winning ideas and legislative efforts that help all kids thrive. Our advocacy tools leverage Common Sense’s unique membership base of parents and teachers who share our belief that America must make kids our top priority. Launched in 2015, Common Sense Kids Action is already having an impact. We activated our New York membership to help pass New York’s brand-new paid family leave law, and we joined coalitions to support paid family leave in Illinois and Massachusetts. We played a key role in securing the FCC’s broadening this March of the Lifeline program to connect low-income kids to broadband at home, and we started digital citizenship training to households with school-age kids living in public housing through Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro’s ConnectHome initiative. We helped establish an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in California, save the EITC in Michigan, and permanently extend federal EITC and Child Tax Credit provisions that help keep kids out of poverty. We became partners in key campaigns to expand high-quality pre-K in Massachusetts and Florida. And we successfully called for $500 million for schools and professional development in California’s budget, played a key role in passing landmark bipartisan legislation to protect the digital privacy rights of Californians, and built on our 2014 legislative success in California by passing student-privacy laws in three more states and fighting for it in 12 others. We have a bold agenda going forward: to protect student privacy with an expanded multistate effort, overhaul California’s multi-pronged early childhood system, expand high-quality pre-K across the country, enact additional paid family and medical leave laws, connect every classroom and home to high-speed Internet, and launch a grassroots parent-training and -organizing campaign on behalf of kids in California. COMMON SENSE RESEARCH
Common Sense Research provides parents, educators, health organizations, and policy- makers with reliable independent data on children’s use of media and technology and the impact it has on their physical, social, and intellectual development. Launched in 2011, Common Sense Research has quickly gained a reputation for rigorous independent research on media use in the lives of kids. Our newest report, Technology Addiction: Concern, Controversy, and Finding Balance, is part of a multiyear project to study issues of addiction, attention, and distraction related to children’s media and technology use. This includes a white paper synthesizing existing research, a national poll of parents and their children, and an ongoing partnership with a network of academic researchers to develop practical solutions that parents and educators can employ. In 2015, we released the Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, the highly anticipated results of a national survey that documents media and technology use among kids age 8 to 18. This study, the first of its kind in five years, follows and complements our previous research report, Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America 2013. The new report attracted extensive coverage from over 2,082 news sources in only the first three days of its release, including the New York Times, CNN, Time, USA Today, MSNBC, and Forbes, and generated 2.8 billion online impressions. Other research we’ve conducted includes our report on the link between media and body image, trends on rates of reading and reading achievement over time among kids and teens, and an examination of the current landscape of advertising to children. Our combination of research know-how, dedication to the well-being of young people, independent approach, and wide-spread dissemination of the results of our findings continue to position Common Sense Research as a leader in the field of children and media.
BOARD AND STAFF LEADERSHIP
Board of Directors Harvey Anderson Chief Legal Officer, AVG Technologies USA Inc. Lynne Benioff Board Member, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Reveta Bowers Head of School, The Center for Early Education Ann Pao Chen Nonprofit Advisor Geoffrey Cowan Professor, USC and President, The Annenberg Foundation Trust Amy Errett Co-Founder and CEO, Madison Reed John H.N. Fisher Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Andrew Hoine Managing Director and Director of Research, Paulson & Co. Inc. Matthew Johnson Managing Partner, Ziffren Brittenham, LLP Martha L. Karsh Trustee, Karsh Family Foundation; Founder, Clark & Karsh Inc. Lucinda Lee Katz Head of School, Marin Country Day School Gary E. Knell President and CEO, National Geographic Society Manny Maceda Partner, Bain & Company April McClain-Delaney President, Delaney Family Fund Michael D. McCurry Partner, Public Strategies Washington Inc. William E. McGlashan, Jr. Managing Partner, TPG Growth Robert L. Miller President and CEO, Miller Publishing Group Diana L. Nelson Board Chair, Carlson William S. Price, III (Chair) Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus, TPG Capital, LP Susan F. Sachs Former President and COO, Common Sense James P. Steyer Founder and CEO, Common Sense Gene Sykes Managing Director, Goldman Sachs & Co. Deborah Taylor Tate Former Commissioner, U.S. Federal Communications Commission Nicole Taylor Professor, Stanford University Michael Tubbs Councilmember, City of Stockton District 6 Lawrence Wilkinson (Vice Chair) Co-Founder, Oxygen Media and Global Business Network
Board of Advisors Aileen Adams Former Deputy Mayor, City of Los Angeles Larry Baer President and CEO, The San Francisco Giants Rich Barton Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Zillow.com Richard Beattie Chairman, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, LLP Angela Glover Blackwell Founder and CEO, PolicyLink Geoffrey Canada Founder and President, Harlem Children’s Zone Marcy Carsey Founding Partner, Carsey-Werner Productions Chelsea Clinton Vice Chair, Clinton Foundation Ramon Cortines Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District James Coulter Founding Partner, TPG Capital, LP Yogen Dalal Managing Director, The Mayfield Fund Steve Denning Founding Partner, General Atlantic Partners Susan Ford Dorsey President, Sand Hill Foundation Millard Drexler Chairman and CEO, J. Crew Ezekiel Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D. Chair, Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Robert Fisher Director, GAP Inc. Howard Gardner, Ph.D. Professor, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University James Herbert, II President and CEO, First Republic Bank David Hornik Partner, August Capital Ron Johnson Trustee, Stanford University Mitchell Kapor Partner, Kapor Capital David Lawrence Jr. President, The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation Eddie Lazarus General Counsel, Tribune Company Susan McCaw U.S. Ambassador to Austria (Ret.) Nion McEvoy Chairman and CEO, Chronicle Books George Miller Education Advisor to Cengage Learning; Retired Member of Congress Nell Minow Founder, The Corporate Library and Movie Mom Newton Minow Counsel, Sidley, Austin and Brown; Former Chairman, FCC James Montoya Senior Vice President, The College Board Becky Morgan President, Morgan Family Foundation Jonathan Nelson CEO, Omnicom Digital Carrie Schwab Pomerantz President, Charles Schwab Foundation Michael Riordan Founder, Gilead Sciences George Roberts Founding Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Jesse Rogers Founder, Altamont Capital Jim Ryan Dean, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University Alan Schwartz Executive Chairman, Guggenheim Partners Darrell Steinberg Chair, California Government Law & Policy Practice, Greenberg Traurig, LLP Thomas Steyer Founder and President, NextGen Climate Deborah Stipek Dean, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University Mike Tollin President, Mandalay Sports Media Robert S. Townsend Partner, Morrison & Foerster, LLP Laura Walker President, WNYC Radio Eugene Washington, M.D. Chancellor, Medical School, Duke University Alice Waters Founder, Chez Panisse and Chez Panisse Foundation Robert Wehling Founder, Family Friendly Programming Forum Tim Zagat Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Zagat Survey
Staff Leadership James Steyer CEO and Founder Amy Guggenheim Shenkan COO and President Linda Burch Co-Founder and Chief Education and Strategy Officer
Brooks Allen Vice President, Policy and Legal Affairs Dana Blum San Francisco Regional Director Sarah Bowman Los Angeles Regional Director Amy Brotman Vice President, Product Jim Carroll Vice President, Finance and Administration Craig Cheslog Vice President, California Policy Kate Coldwell Senior Director, Talent Anne-Louise Kardas Vice President, Business Development Omar Khan Chief Product and Technology Officer David Kuizenga Chief Financial Officer Mike Lorion General Manager, Education Olivia Morgan Vice President, Communications and Strategic Programs Kelly Green Morrison Vice President, Product Jill Murphy Vice President, Editorial Director Ellen Pack General Manager, Consumer and Vice President, Marketing Rebecca Randall Vice President, Education Programs and Marketing Liana Slater Acting New York Regional Director Danny Weiss Vice President, National Policy and D.C. Regional Director REGIONAL COUNCILS Bay Area/Silicon Valley Advisory Council Karen Alter Wanda Holland Greene Hillary Caplan Somorjai Jenny Beeler Frances Hochschild Nina Zinterhofer Stanford Patricia Blee Jordan Hoffner (Co-Chair) Cecily Stock Lycia Carmody Tai Hsia Luba Troyanovsky Jennifer Chung (Co-Chair) Eli Khouri Tracy Wang Kate Connally Gabrielle Layton Liz Weingart Carolyn Feinstein Edwards Krutika Patel Kirsten Wolberg Scott Erickson Kirsten Polsky Jessica Wynne Suzanne Felson Catarina Schwab
New York Advisory Council Nancy Berkeley Bynum Tony Goncalves Alexander Navab Chelsea Clinton Jonathan S. Henes (Co-Chair) Gregory J. O’Melia Michael Colacino Andrew Hoine Lauren Shortt Rachel Dalton Mara Landis Marva Smalls Jill Davis Miyoung Lee (Co-Chair) David Topper George Davison Carol Sutton Lewis Remy Trafelet William Dessoffy Rochelle Ludwig Stephanie Dua Anthony E. Malkin
D.C. Advisory Council Nancy Balboa (Co-Chair) Susan Fox Anita McBride Catherine Bohigian Wendy Gagnon April McClain-Delaney (Co-Chair) Katherine Bradley Frank Gallagher Manar Morales John Buchanan Mary Haft Bill O’Neill Angela Campbell Jen Heimert Marianne Powell Susie Canton Katherine Cooper Hoffman Susanna Quinn Soraya Chemaly Gwen Holliday Alison Reynolds Teresa Clare Sonya Douglass Horsford Nancy Sidamon-Eristoff Lucinda Crabtree Lauren Birchfield Kennedy Shawn Smeallie Julie Donatelli Laurie Lipper Kirk Lalie Tongour Karen Donatelli Dale Lipnick Christie Weiss Steven Fabrizio Betsy Mandel Sonya White Jean Marie Fernandez Capricia Penavic Marshall Mary Zients
Los Angeles Advisory Council Morra Aarons-Mele Laura Fox Eli Selden Aileen Adams Les Frost Karen Kehela Sherwood Kate Anderson Irwin Gold Stacey Snider Willow Bay Joan Hill Themy Sparangis Lorraine Berchtold (Co-Chair) Sarah Hughes Michael Tollin Reveta Bowers Stefanie Huie Wendy Wachtell Gabe Cowan Tracy Gallagher Kerkorian Laura Wasserman Susanne Daniels (Co-Chair) Michael Kong Jim Wiatt Dean Florez Sue Naegle Bradley Zacuto DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS
Common Sense is proud to partner with leading media, retail, and technology companies that share our commitment to improving the lives of kids and families. Amazon Google Amplify Learn360 AOL MSN Apple NBCUniversal AT&T Nearpod Charter Netflix Comcast Rogers Cox Sprout Discovery Education Target Dish Time Warner Cable Fandango Univision
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Common Sense is grateful to the many individuals and companies who so generously donate professional services and resources to support our work. Apple Education Morrison & Foerster, LLP Bain & Company The Movie Database Bernstein & Andriulli Nickelodeon Caplin & Drysdale Paul Hastings, LLP Davis Polk Salesforce Disney Steinbrecher & Span, LLP Edmodo Turner Duckworth First Republic Bank Twitter Getty Images Venables Google Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Special thanks to Olaf Hajek for allowing us to use his illustration within this program and in other Common Sense Media Awards materials. OUR FOUNDATION PARTNERS AND DONORS We gratefully acknowledge our generous donors and foundation partners, whose support helps us to deliver our free parent resources and educational curriculum to millions of families and schools across the country and around the world.
Foundation Partners*
Annie E. Casey Foundation George Kaiser Family Foundation Richard King Mellon Foundation The Annenberg Foundation Grable Foundation Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Anschutz Foundation Hearst Foundations Rose Hill Foundation Arthur Vining Davis Foundation Heising-Simons Foundation SCE The Bernard Osher Jewish John D. and Catherine T. S.H. Cowell Foundation Philanthropies Foundation MacArthur Foundation Sherwood Foundation Best Buy Children’s Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Sketch Foundation Bezos Family Foundation John Templeton Foundation Skoll Foundation bgC3 Joseph Drown Foundation Stuart Family Foundation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Karsh Family Foundation Symantec Inc. The Broad Foundation Kent Thiry and Denise O’Leary Foundation Thrive Foundation for Youth The California Endowment Lifelock Inc. TomKat Foundation The California Healthcare Foundation Marguerite Casey Foundation TPG Foundation Carnegie Corporation of America McCormick Foundation Verizon Foundation The Chicago Community Foundation Michael and Susan Dell Foundation Weingart Foundation Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation Morgan Family Foundation William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Daniels Fund Omidyar Network William Randolph Hearst Foundation Dwight Stuart Youth Foundation Osher Philanthropies William E. Simon Foundation Eisner Foundation Pinkerton Foundation Ford Foundation Poses Family Foundation
Individual Donors*
Julie Anbender Diana & Richard Beattie Katherine & David Bradley Harvey Anderson Kirsten Beckwith Susan & Bryan Brewer Nicola Miner & Robert Anderson Jennifer & Charles Beeler Patrice & Scott Brickman Anonymous Donors (4) Christine & Doug Belgrad Brigid & Mark Britton Nell Minow & David Apatoff Grace & Morton Bender Barbera Brooks Eileen & Lowell Aptman Lynne & Marc Benioff Penny Brown Nancy & Tim Armstrong Lorraine & Joe Berchtold Susie & Mark Buell Lezlie & Richard Atlas Gretchen & John Berggruen Susie Buffett Diana Nelson & John Atwater Lisa & Josh Bernstein Katie & Julian Bull Pam & Larry Baer Helen & Peter Bing John Buoymaster Amy & Matt Baer Cheryl Lynn Crispen & Timothy Bitsberger Anne & Russell Byers Claire Solot & Sinjin Bain The Black Dog Private Foundation Nancy & Frank Bynum Mary Anne Nyburg Baker & Len Baker Patricia & Bob Blee Liz & Gerry Byrne Lisa Stanton & Nicholas Baker Gray Boyce & Thomas Bliska Susie & Steve Canton Nancy & George Balboa Dana & Robert Blum Paula & Bandel Carano Andy Ball David Bonderman Lycia Carmody Michael Barker Carol & Shelby Bonnie Sara & Scott Carpenter Amy & Ted Barnett Susan & Robert Bottome Teresa Phelps Carr & Edward Carr Sarah & Richard Barton Reveta & Bob Bowers Stasia Obremskey & Dan Carroll Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos Sandra & Richard Boyce Marcy Carsey Katherine & Frank Baxter Terry & Jeff Boyd Belle & Wences Casares Stacey B. Case Melissa & Tim Draper Jan & Tom Geniesse Kristin Rae & John Cecchi Phyllis C. Draper & the Honorable Pat Gentile Julie Chaiken William H. Draper, III Abigail & Lloyd Gerry Amanda Brown Chang & Justin Chang Peggy & Mickey Drexler Ann & Jim Gianopulos Jolene Cherry The Driscoll Foundation Sarah & Scott Gilbertson Lisa Kim & Eunu Chun Kate & Bill Duhamel Maryann & Irwin Gold Jennifer Chung Mary Ellen Dyk Jodi Gold The Clinton Family Foundation Beth & Tom Eckert Susan & David Golden Angela & Chris Cohan Marc Ecko Adam Goode Ami Cohen Kenneth Edlow Colleen & Bob Grady Carolyn Klebanoff & Fred Cohen Carolyn & Braden Edwards Torie Clarke & Brian Graham Michael Cohen Karen Edwards Debra & Dean Graham Marcy & Neil Cohen Jennifer Gilbert & Bennett Egeth Betsy Steyer & Fred Graver Debby & Michael Colacino Georgia Eisner Helen Graves Ana & Paul Collins Zeke Emanuel Wendy Wachtell & Bob Graziano Jill Davis & Edward Conard The Emerson Collective Jocelyn & Timothy Greenan Mary Beth & Marc Connell Kimberly Marteau Emerson & Marritje & Jamie Greene John Emerson Faith & Peter Coolidge Leana Greene Dana & Bob Emery Penny & James Coulter Gillian Growdon Emika Fund Aileen Adams & Geoff Cowan Mark Gudiksen Clare Albanese & Amy J. Errett Ruth Cox Alexander Guettel Monica Escandon Simone Otus & Tench Coxe Mary & Hank Guettel Saskia & Hugh Evans Suzanne & J. Taylor Crandall Arjun Gupta Melinda Ellis Evers & Will Evers The Crary Family Foundation Smita Gupta Ann Fandozzi Marie & Jamie Crouch Mary & Robert Haft Samia & A. Huda Farouki Maureen & Tom Curley Ken Hagen Elizabeth Cogan Fascitelli Elizabeth & Ravenel Curry Tracey Roberts & Paul Haigney Jennifer & Mark Feldman Linda Burch & Rajen Dalal Alicia & Philip Hammarskjold Suzanne & Elliott Felson Peggy & Yogen Dalal Kathryn & Michael Hanley Jean Marie & Raul Fernandez Rachel & Mark Dalton Laurie Tallott & Eric Hanson Nancy Murray & James Feuille Kathy & John Danhakl Arno Harris Courtney Benoist & Jason Fish Susanne & Gregory Daniels Jennifer & Jonathan Harris Sako & Bill Fisher Kendall & John Davies Halley Harrisburg Randi & Bob Fisher Kelvin Davis Julia & Kevin Hartz Doris Fisher Judy Rivkin & George Davison Jane Rosenfeld & Craig Hatkoff Laura & John Fisher Hendy & Jon Dayton Jacky Haw Jennifer Caldwell & John H.N. Fisher Nina & Casper de Clercq Elizabeth & Joseph Fitzgerald Alison & John Hawkins Sarah Deckey Meg Jacobs Flax & Samuel Flax Margaret & William Hearst April McClain-Delaney & John Delaney Nancy & Ron Fletcher Pamela & Jonathan Henes Roberta & Steve Denning Julie & Greg Flynn Mary Henry Joseph Dias Liz & Morrison Fong Lisa Henson Ann Dilworth Tracey Kline Friedlander & Cecilia & Jim Herbert Chun Ding Andrew Friedlander Jaime & Adam Hestad Annie Roney & Rob Doleza Paulette Meyer & David Friedman Joan & David Hill Karen & Chris Donatelli Pamela Patton & Ivan Galanin Margaret Cafarelli & Jan Hill Julie Donatelli Elizabeth & Michael Galvin Kaki Hinton Linsly Donnelly Kimberly & Jonathan Garfinkel Deirdre & Christopher Hockett Robin & Chris Donohoe Jamie & Bobbie Gates Jennifer & Gary Hoff Susan Ford Dorsey & Michael Dorsey Ramzi Gedeon James Hoffman Joe Downes Jennifer Geiling Alex & Jordan Hoffner Kathy & Peter Drake Rachel Goslins & Julius Genachowski Jennifer & Andrew Hoine
*As of April 1, 2016. Includes donations of at least $1,000. Regretfully, due to space limitations, we are unable to list every donor. However, all gifts we receive are deeply valued and help to support our work for kids and schools. Individual Donors* (cont.)
Beth Holland Kathryn Hall & Tom Knutsen Camille & Bobby McDuffie Sandra & Tom Holland Karyn Kornfeld Kobre Nan Tucker McEvoy Nina Houghton Lauren & Brad Koenig Leslie Berriman & Nion McEvoy Mimi & Richard Houstoun Gary Kovacs Marie & Bill McGlashan Linda & Larry Howell Didi Lacher Susan & Herb McLaughlin Daphne Yeoh & Tai Hsia Dawn Davis & Charles LaFollette Kimberly & John McMorrow Lindsay & Nathan Hubbard Julie & Ken LaGrande Ann & Roger McNamee Lauren Seikaly & Michael Huber Bill Lambert Anna Kovner & Seth Meisel Jackie Collins Hullar & John Hullar Ann & Ned Lamont Stephanie & Bill Mellin Lori & Deke Hunter Mara & Dean Landis Alan Meltzer Vicky & Ned Hurley Monica Landry Judith & Andrew Mendelsohn Wende & Tom Hutton Ransom Langford Margarita Prieto & Mark Michael Willow Bay & Bob Iger Cathy & Marc Lasry Clare McCamy-Miller & Harrison Miller Jane & Alex Jackson Gabrielle & Thomas Layton Patrice Miller Gail & Benjamin Jacobs Stefanie Huie & David Lee Robert L. Miller Liz Hume & Jay Jacobs Jiyeun Lee Ann-Ferrell & Steve Millham The James and Rebecca Morgan Andrea Evans & Chris Lehane Deborah Minor Family Foundation Mary Lester Martha Minow Donna & David James Helen & Jordan Levin Tammy & Kurt Mobley Donna & Matt James Stacey & Dan Levitan Jackie & Craig Moffett Ann & Charles Johnson Carol Sutton Lewis & Bill Lewis Tina & Hamid Moghadam Maxine Isaacs & James Johnson Daryl & John Lillie Jessica & Jason Moment Yasmine & Matt Johnson Dale & William Lipnick Sharon Marcil & Tom Monahan Karen & Ron Johnson Laurie Lipper Heejung & John Moon Dan Kalafatas Ruth & David Locala Vizhier & Andy Mooney Monica Kalmanson Libby & Ron Longinotti Dana & Mario Morino Taylor Kane Susan & Scott Lord Faryl Morse Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman Alyssa & Nick Lovegrove Gigi & Avie Mortimer Stephen Kaplan Bertram Lubin Julie Munro Freada Kapor-Klein & Mitch Kapor Mellody Hobson & George Lucas Virginia & Ed Murphy Martha & Bruce Karsh Rochelle & David Ludwig Gail Covington & John Murray Jane & Bob Katz Muffin & John Lynham Cara Natterson Lucinda Lee Katz Blyand Jed Lyons Jolie & Chuck Nelson George Kaufman Bremond & Michael MacDougall Jillian Neubauer Elizabeth & Jeffrey Keffer Lyra Rufino-Maceda & Manny Maceda Kay Yun & Andre Neumann-Loreck K.C. Branscomb & David Kelley Maggie & Carter Mack Virginia Moseley & Tom Nides Gina & Rich Kelley Kathy Malaney Eric Niles Liz & Teke Kelley Sue & Steve Mandel Susan & Bill Oberndorf Deborah Kennedy & Bill Kennard Carrie & John Mapes Emilie & Doug Ogden Laurie Berk & Brian Kerester Cindy Mark Shoko & Michael O’Neal Tracy Gallagher Kerkorian & Michael Kerkorian Lori & David Marquardt Linie & Bill Orrick Nicola & Jordan Kerner Linda & John Marren Barbro & Barney Osher Heba Abedin & Sohail Khalid Linda & Christopher Martinson Lilli & Philip Ouyang Kamini Ramani & Omar Khan Tracy Leeds & Evan Marwell Michael Owen Cynthia & Anthony Kim Robyn Mathias Susan & Dexter Paine Liz & Gabe Kind Ann & Andrew Mathieson Julie & Will Parish Mimi & Dan Kingsley Peter Levine & Eric Mathre Yuri & Carl Pascarella Helen & Greg Kinnear Paul Matteucci Krutika & Rajiv Patel Jessica & Tim Kisling Leigh & Bill Matthes Liebe & William Patterson Tracy Kirkham Linda Martinson & Chris Mayer Heather Lupa & Karen Pell Michael Klein Susan & Craig McCaw JaMel & Tom Perkins Kathy Bole & Paul Klingenstein David McCord Henrietta Pertuz Kim Larson & Gary Knell Debra & Michael McCurry Gina & Stuart Peterson Dana Pigott Bettina & Scott Setrakian Diane Tuft Colleen & John Place Carol Shannon Sue & Dave Tunnell Kirsten & Steve Polsky Sally & Jim Shapiro Liz & James Underhill Carrie Schwab Pomerantz & Laurie Shearing Natalie Stern & Eric Upin Gary Pomerantz Amy Guggenheim Shenkan & Ed Shenkan Katherine & Mark Valentine Marianne & Keith Powell Karen Kehela & Ben Sherwood Karen Valladao Carolyn & Bill Powers Mike Shippey Laura Fox & Ben Van de Bunt Liz Perle & Steve Pressman James Showen Whitney Vanderwerff Eva & Bill Price Pam Shriver Glenda & Gregory Vanni Lisa & John Pritzker Kelly Shuhda Richard Vermillion Lisa & John Pruzan Nancy & Simon Sidamon-Eristoff Kathleen & Billy Volkmann Ashley & Steve Quamme Miyoung Lee & Neil Simpkins Clemence von Mueffling Christine Rales Tomliana & John Slater Grace & Steve Voorhis Norma & Russell Ramsey Barbara Slifka Liza & Paul Wachter Osman Rashid Anne Chapman & John Snedden Lela & Chris Wadsworth The Rattner Family Foundation Jane & Larry Solomon Fleur Fairman & Tim Wallach Mary & Alan Raul Kimberly & Michael Solomon Tracy & Fred Wang Robin & Jake Reynolds Sandra Spence Phillis & John Warden Catherine & Wayne Reynolds Laura & Greg Spivy Suzanne & David Warner Elizabeth & Kurt Rieke Elizabeth & Andrew Spokes Marie & Gene Washington Michael Riordan Sarah Stafford Laura & Casey Wasserman Amy & Gordon Ritter Nina & Scott Stanford Patti Newburger & Bradley Wechsler Margaret & Seth Robbins Shanna McBurney & Dave Stanton Carolyn & Bob Wehling Linnea Conrad Roberts & George Roberts Ellie & Paul Stein Jill & Mark Wehrly Lisa & John Rocchio Daniel Stern Liz & Jack Weingart Amanda Rocenvich Margaret & Allan Steyer Ellyn & Brett Weisel Toni Rembe Rock & Arthur Rock Nanahya Santana & Hume Steyer Donna & Jason Weiss Haley Rockwell Liz & Jim Steyer Lisa & Greg Wendt Shannon Gaulding & Greg Rogers Mindy & Jesse Rogers Kat Taylor & Tom Steyer Nonie Greene & Todd Werby Pamela & Peter Rosekrans Diana & Steve Strandberg Ashley & Minott Wessinger Ellen & Douglas Rosenberg Susan & Jim Swartz Jennifer & David Whipp Robin Rosenberg Cissie Swig Jim Wiatt Leif Rosenblatt Phyllis & Ted Swindells Lawrence Wilkinson Alexandra Munroe & Robert Rosenkranz Tracy & Gene Sykes Nadine Bell & Bart Williams Patricia & Dick Roth Todor Tashev Marsha Williams Michael Rubel Deborah Taylor Tate & William Tate Cindy & Jake Winebaum Mary Rubin Baudelia & Brett Taylor Carey & Noah Wintroub Georgina & Thomas Russo Nicole Taylor Eric Witt Leslie Rylee Polly & Ted Taylor Robin Wolaner Susan Sachs Sarah Bowman & William Temko Kirsten Wolberg Erica Pearson & David Samra Denise O’Leary & Kent Thiry Michele & Tyler Wolfram Jennifer Ayers Sandell & Scott Sandell Elizabeth Thompson Hilary Wynperle Mara & Ricky Sandler Anke Faber & Daniel Tierney Amelia Kaymen & Eric Yopes Teveia Barnes & Alan Sankin Edith & Joseph Tobin Danielle & Jed York Rebecca Harrington & Charles Saunders Julia & Victor Tolkan Stacy & John Yost Dana Golding & Richard Scharf Robbie & Mike Tollin Glen Young Helen & Charles Schwab Stephen Tomlin Ron Zeff Nancy & Alan Schwartz Margaret & Amor Towles Annie Zehren Emily Scott Pam Turner & Rob Townsend Robert Ziebarth Nancy Peretsman & Bob Scully Lara & Remy Trafelet Mary & Jeffrey Zients Ava Seave Anna & Robert Trone Kathryn & Jeffrey Zukerman
*As of April 1, 2016. Includes donations of at least $1,000. Regretfully, due to space limitations, we are unable to list every donor. However, all gifts we receive are deeply valued and help to support our work for kids and schools. HERO SPONSORS HERO SPONSORS ADVOCATE SPONSORS @Twitter celebrates the critical role @CommonSense plays in the world.
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We give awards once a year ... but we think about kids every day.
Join us, and get the latest ratings, reviews, and advice: commonsensemedia.org/CSMA Common Sense is proud to recognize our strong partnerships with: N YC D e p a r t m e n t o f E d u c a t i o n NYSCATE
Thanks to our partnerships with the New York City Department of Education and the New York State Association of Computers and Technologies in Education, Common Sense Education is helping educators across New York leverage technology for learning. Our award-winning Digital Citizenship Program has helped tens of thousands of young people in the state build strong digital citizenship skills. And our edtech ratings and reviews platform, Common Sense Graphite, has enabled thousands of New York educators to discover high-quality digital tools, learn how to use them, and connect with expert educators to transform their classrooms. We would like to honor and thank the nearly 5,500 registered schools and over 10,000 registered educators in New York who are committed to making our Common Sense programs a core part of every student’s education. Special recognition goes to our Digital Citizenship Certified Schools in New York City, who are taking the necessary steps to equip students with the skills they need to be responsible online. We also want to acknowledge our New York Supporter School members who have committed to teaching digital citizenship to young people and engaging parents using Common Sense Education materials:
Avenues: The The Gateway School The Packer Collegiate World School Institute Grace Church School Bronxville Union Free Riverdale Country School Greenwich Academy School District United Nations The IDEAL School The Buckley School International School of Manhattan The Chapin School Village Community School Lycée Français de The Dalton School New York Winston Preparatory School COMMON SENSE EDUCATION PRODUCTS
digital citizenship curriculum Our K-12 curriculum, developed in partnership with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, teaches students to be safe, responsible, and ethical online. The curriculum, available on our website and in the iBooks Store, is flexible, modular, media- rich, and aligned to Common Core State Standards. Teachers select 45-minute lessons on topics ranging from cyberbullying and online privacy to digital footprints and creative credit and copyright.
common sense graphite Created by teachers for teachers, Common Sense Graphite helps educators discover great digital-learning content by providing unbiased and rigorous reviews of apps, games, and websites and digital curricula rated for learning potential. Teachers can also share personal reviews about how best to use the products in the classroom and create lesson plans.
digital passport™ Named one of 10 educational technologies you should try by eSchoolNews, Digital Passport™ presents a series of videos, interactive games, and activities all geared toward teaching third to fifth-grade students how to be great digital citizens. Currently available on the Web, Edmodo, and as a mobile app on the App Store and Google Play, Digital Passport supports CIPA compliance for E-rate discounts.
1-to-1 essentials program 1-to-1 Essentials provides free, interactive, customizable tools that enable administrators to avoid the pitfalls that schools can face during a 1-to-1 implemen - tation. The program includes turnkey resources that highlight best practices of 1-to-1 educators and gives schools the resources they need to prepare, plan, and implement a new program, including resources for engaging families, students, and teachers.
professional development for teachers Our professional-development videos, webinars, and self-paced online tutorials support teachers by sharing best practices and guidance for delivering effective digital citizenship lessons, including how to best align to the Common Core State Standards and harness resources to integrate apps, games, and websites into their curricula.
connecting families program From cyberbullying and photo sharing to digital footprints and online safety, the Connecting Families program helps parents and kids address important topics and have meaningful conversations about making great choices in their digital lives. This program includes everything a school needs to encourage families to use connected technologies in ways that are both fun and safe.
digital bytes A free, student-directed program that uses media-rich activities and real-world experiences to help teens become good digital citizens, Digital Bytes engages teens in project- based experiences that resonate with their interests. This program is ideal for after-school programs, community centers, or blended-learning classrooms that need short, relevant activities that teach digital citizenship.
digital compass Learn the fundamentals of digital citizenship through animated, choose- your-own-path interactive experiences, designed for middle schoolers. Invite students to explore digital dilemmas, make good (and not-so-good) decisions, and try out possible solutions through stories and mini-games — all without risking their real-world reputations.
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MAKING KIDS OUR NATION’S TOP PRIORITY SPECIAL THANKS Common Sense is grateful to the many individuals and companies whose time and talents contributed to the success of this event.
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Special thanks to these Common Sense colleagues for their help in the event production: Maria Alvarez Liza Fowler Amanda Nojadera Aditi Bahri Joanne Gold Ellen Pack Rhianwen Benner Steve Goldberg Jenny Pritchett Karen Berke Michelle Hernandez Samantha Purdy Dana Blum Tanner Higgin Rebecca Randall Betsy Bozdech Tali Horowitz Taryn Rawson Amy Brotman Grace Jordan Nicole Atkinson Roach Eisha Buch Anne-Louise Kardas Michael Robb Kristin Bumgarner Claude Kientz Allison Rudd Linda Burch Dwight Knell Cassie Chism Sanborn Jacqueline Carambat David Kuizenga Ellen Seebold Jim Carroll Gordon Lee Susan Skinner Myna Chiem Chloe Leng Liana Slater Judy Chun Denise Leung Lisa Solomon Ri Crawford Diane Jones Lowrey Marah Sotelo Lea dela Cruz Jeff Mao Yalda T. Uhls Alexandra Devoe Kyle Maxwell Alexis Vanni Kathryn Doorey Carina Mifuel Nick Vasilopoulos Erin Duncan Jasmine Hood Miller Candice Weber Amielee Eastin Olivia Morgan Danny Weiss Mick Erausquin Shari Morgan Jordan Willox Sierra Filucci Jill Murphy
Common Sense deeply appreciates each and every donor, partner, and supporter. We apologize in advance for any omissions due to print deadlines or human error.
In Memory of Elizabeth (Liz) Perle 1956–2015
Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Common Sense Media
Our dear friend and founding partner, Liz Perle, died peacefully at home in the presence of her cherished family on Thursday, August 20, 2015, after losing a long-fought battle with breast cancer.
Words cannot begin to express the depth of this loss, nor can they fully express the incredible and unique contributions that Liz made to Common Sense and to so many of our lives, both personally and professionally.
Liz’s talent, passion, wisdom, and loving spirit infuse literally every aspect of our organization and the work we do for kids and families every day. We recently created the Liz Perle Fellowship for Editorial Excellence at Common Sense as a way to honor her extraordinary life and accomplishments and the unique joy, humor, and love that she shared with so many of us. www.commonsense.org
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