This article presents an example of the ways in which many large districts are working to dispel long-held myths about inefficient and unresponsive operations, particularly in operational areas, such as transportation, purchasing, food services, and information technology (IT). Determined to improve both academically and operationally, leaders in urban school districts across the country are demonstrating that a focus on extensive and comparable operational data can help cut costs while maintaining effective business practices in the same way investments in student data systems have helped improve teaching and learning. Using Six Sigma methodologies for defining, quantifying, and aggregating data, the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) created a state-of-the-art management tool of the sort more commonly found at Fortune 500 companies. Since its creation, the CGCS's key performance indicator (KPI) tool, a powerful interactive database of financial and operational benchmarks, has saved participating districts millions of dollars--and is on track to save tens of millions more. The KPI system automatically ranks each district's performance against median costs and operations. Looking at data from other participating districts, school leaders can compare their performance with peer districts, calibrating comparisons based on geography, cost of living, union status, and an array of other variables.