The big data hype has been gaining momentum over the past several years. Although a lot of it is hype and buzzwords, what is undeniable is that the use of data to improve decision-making can improve a lot of organizations. Despite this potential, most of the examples we hear about the use of data is in the corporate world, especially in finance, internet search, and advertising. In this talk, I’ll talk about the potential of using data for social good. I’ll give several examples from the Data Science for Social Good Summer Fellowship at the University of Chicago that highlight how data science can be used to solve large-scale problems with social impact in areas such as education, healthcare, sustainability, community development, and disaster relief. I’ll highlight some of the projects related to education and discuss how data scientists have the potential some of these most challenging problems.