This article presents the results of a research project centered on challenged books, which was used with a twelfth-grade class of mixed ability levels. The study of banned books provided the students an opportunity to engage with literature on a number of levels, generating text-to-self connections by involving students in a discussion centered on their own rights. Over the course of the project, systematic research proved student engagement and intellectual growth; this proof went beyond anecdotal evidence of the project's impact on students. Evidence generated by the students demonstrated that they were capable of insight into text and that they saw the value of access to a range of materials. Because the nature of the assignment was a sharp departure from the established course of study, that data demonstrating intellectual growth was important in confirming the relevance to the English curriculum of a study of censorship. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a theoretical framework with origins in the medical field; EBP offers a range of opportunities to explicate the work of information specialists. As a research paradigm, EBP is concerned with outcomes rather than outputs, using data from professional practice to support theories developed by qualitative methods. In education evidence-based models provide a framework for action research in the classroom. This study uses EBP in the high school context to support an increasing emphasis on intellectual freedom issues, a core value of the school library media program. The results reveal the need for a school-wide systematic approach to instruction in censorship and intellectual freedom issues valuable to 21st century learners. (Contains 2 figures.)