The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation K-12 Education program aims to increase the number of black, Latino, and low-income students graduating high school and pursuing higher education. To support this, they needed a strategy for sharing evidence-based information with U.S. high school principals. Critical was understanding how school leaders used formal and informal networks to obtain and share information serving their students. Insights came from substantial qualitative, quantitative, and networking analysis studies. Empathy-based design artifacts like personas, journeys, and network maps showed how different principals used different networks, influencing their learning and information gathering. This work informed the foundation's strategic planning and investment decisions, helping them be most impactful. It was also shared with educational organizations nationwide.