This report, which focuses on education in Louisiana, gives the results of research on various education issues in Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states and provides information on how southern states collect and use different education-related data. The article discusses education costs and revenues, as well as how financial, student, and teacher data are transmitted from local school districts to state departments of education. The methodology for collecting data involved contacting officials from SREB states to identify and to request reports similar to Louisiana's Annual Financial and Statistical Report. The reports were reviewed and officials from SREB states were interviewed to determine sources of education revenue and reveal the types of education expenditures for each SREB state. The findings revolve around 11 central questions, such as "what percent of education dollars in SREB states comes from federal, state, and local funding"? and "how are education costs broken out in SREB states"? Findings show that most SREB states operated their education system similar to the Louisiana Department of Education. Common themes emerged as related to education costs, revenue sources, teacher certification, and the definition of "at risk" students. Like Louisiana, SREB states rely heavily on local schools and districts to submit reliable and valid data. (RJM)