Schools are increasingly finding ways to improve administrative decision-making and student success through data, experimentation, and evidence, but they face clear and persistent obstacles. This leads to a key question: how can colleges and universities best drive student success through data and evidence? To begin to answer this question, focus groups were conducted with community college leaders and in-depth interviews with representatives from three schools that are using data and evidence to improve student outcomes: Georgia State University, California State University at Sacramento (Sac State), and Indian River State College. Each of these colleges reported that data is not a panacea or a magic bullet, but a tool. While data facilitates many of the strategies colleges pursue to improve student success, the most crucial factor in determining improvement is a strong commitment of leadership and financial resources to a culture of continuous improvement. Based on the findings, this report outlines three key lessons for colleges and universities and three considerations for policymakers. [This brief was written with the assistance of Jessica Thompson, Beth Stein, Lindsay Ahlman, Debbie Cochrane, and James Kvaal.]