Data Nerd Alert: Donors Who Give Through Multiple Channels Give the Most Beth's Blog, April 20, 2012
This blog synthesizes a study performed by Convio and CareUSA, whichanalyzed data from an internal multi-channel marketing initiative to determine which engagement approach generates the highest value.

Private Schools Mine Parents’ Data, and Wallets The New York Times, March 26, 2012
Data is changing the way that private schools alleviate expanding budgetary gaps. As operational costs escalate, school heads spend more and more time on donor development, and increasingly depend on data-mining and contituent surveys to focus their efforts.

The Age of Big Data The New York Times, February 11, 2012
This front page article in the New York Times Sunday Review highlights the growing prevalence of data-driven decision making. "What is Big Data? A meme and a marketing term, for sure, but also shorthand for advancing trends in technology that open the door to a new approach to understanding the world and making decisions."

How Companies Learn Your Secrets The New York Times Magazine, February 16, 2012
Organizations are harnessing new data technologies to make sense of the numbers and apply quanititative analysis to their strategic planning and targeted marketing efforts.

New Ways to Exploit Raw Data May Bring Surge of Innovation, a Study Says The New York Times, May 2011
Data is a vital raw material of the information economy, much as coal and iron ore were in the Industrial Revolution. But the business world is just beginning to learn how to process it all.

When There’s No Such Thing as Too Much Information The New York Times, April 2011
In a modern economy, information should be the prime asset — the raw material of new products and services, smarter decisions, competitive advantage for companies, and greater growth and productivity.

Effective Principals Embrace Collective Leadership Education Week, July 2010
An expansive study devoted to examining the traits of effective school principals has found that high student achievement is linked to “collective leadership”: the combined influence of educators, parents, and others on school decisions.

Most Nonprofits Measuring Programs' Effectiveness Jewish Philanthropy, June 2010
Despite concerns that an emphasis on performance measurement might distort organizational missions or cause organizations to sidestep programs with hard-to-achieve outcomes, the great majority of nonprofits not only reported measuring the effectiveness of their programs, but also reported positive impacts from doing so.

Smart Money: Is Your Favorite Charity Spying on You? WSJ, May 2010
When your favorite nonprofit isn't busy saving the whales, chances are it's making a serious behind-the-scenes effort to know you better -- using increasingly sophisticated technology.

What Makes a Great Teacher? Atlantic Magazine, February 2010
For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication. But for more than a decade, one organization has been tracking hundreds of thousands of kids, and looking at why some teachers can move them three grade levels ahead in a year and others can’t. Now, as the Obama administration offers states more than $4 billion to identify and cultivate effective teachers, Teach for America is ready to release its data.

Navigating the Bermuda Triangle of School Communication NAIS, Spring 2009
NYAIS investigates systemic tensions among parents, teachers, and administrators — and what schools can do to deal with them.

Making Health Care Better NYTimes, November 2009
Doctors at Intermountain Hospital use data to save lives and reduce costs.

Steven Levitt on Child Carseats TED Ideas worth spreading, June 2008
Steven Levitt shares data that shows car seats are no more effective than seatbelts in protecting kids from dying in cars. However, during the question and answer session, he makes one crucial caveat.