Challenges to closing the gap between findings from academic research and effective policymaking are not new, and they will not be solved overnight. However, as the entire education sector faces mounting pressure to provide high-quality education under tightening fiscal constraints, all while demonstrating improving student outcomes, the time may finally be right for a renewed spirit of collaboration between higher education researchers and policymakers. This "Policy Insights" is just one component of a partnership between the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) focused on how to better connect rigorous higher education research and appropriate state-level policy. This brief examines why research is not currently more influential in policymaking; how those in the academy can develop a cross-sector, state-level research agenda that is more likely to affect policy change; what policy areas are well-suited for collaboration between policymakers and researchers to increase equity and inclusion within postsecondary education; and what action steps can be taken by those in academe and the policy arena to improve the links between educational research and policy.