For nearly a decade, the demand for better education data has reverberated across the nation, fueled in part by concerns that the information used in education decision-making is incomplete and, in some cases, inaccurate. In response, millions of federal and state dollars have been invested over the last few years to design and build state-of the-art state education data systems, commonly referred to as Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS). SLDS provide states the tools to move beyond simple data collection and reporting. They give states the capacity to collect, match, connect and analyze complex data sets, including longitudinal (multiple-year) ones. That capacity provides states the means to conduct analyses over students' entire academic careers. It also gives researchers the ability to analyze the impact of policies, programs and personnel on the academic performance of public school students at any given point in their education. If K-12 and higher education SLDS are connected to a state's work force databases, the combination allows the state to map students' progress from their school years into the work force, while simultaneously analyzing the impact of education--for better or worse--on their careers. As states finish building--and then rolling out--their SLDS, the next challenge will be leveraging the full capability of these systems to guide informed, data-driven decision-making, from the statehouse to the schoolhouse. Policy-makers can support these efforts by identifying and revising policies that might be hindering or restricting effective data use in their states.