This report is drafted with state leaders and policy makers in mind, including those who work with or support these education leaders. The information shared in this report will likely be most relevant to states that have either not yet considered a new data system on teacher preparation providers, are only now starting to consider the idea, or are currently embarking on plans to design and implement such a system. This report offers two primary functions to readers. First, it illustrates the benefits of teacher preparation data systems as they have been experienced by states who have them or are building them. It makes the case for this work through "real-life" examples. Second, it offers best practices to help states in moving forward on planning and implementing such systems, drawn from the direct experiences of the featured states. Featured states in this report include: Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Louisiana. Each best practice is accompanied by at least one example of how a featured state chose to implement it. Readers should use the best practices offered in this report as a set of guideposts that every state that has done this work believes are critical elements of the process. States should execute each guidepost in the way that is most effective for their own needs. The various examples illustrate how a state could choose to execute the best practice while making clear that states take different approaches to the same practice.