This year saw unprecedented disruptions to schools and to students' lives across the country. With a global pandemic shutting school doors, causing economic instability, and highlighting the impact of systemic racism, policymakers and education leaders are looking to data to help them respond and recover. The Data Quality Campaign's 2020 research identified several key themes that marked this incredible year--and that will likely continue to frame education policy conversations in the new year. This report presents the following five things to know heading into 2021: (1) Teachers and parents want data to support their students through the pandemic; (2) State leaders are looking to measure and support student experiences outside of the K-12 classroom and traditional academic indicators; (3) COVID-19 recovery will rely on securely bringing together data from across the programs and sectors that serve students; (4) The pandemic is prompting states to go back to data basics and reexamine how they measure and report information about their students and schools; and (5) States are looking to federal support to help them improve data systems and foster innovation.