As parents, educators, policymakers, society, we all want our children to be prepared for the future. But when faced with overwhelming statistics, we wonder how it is possible. If we break that overwhelming statistic down into manageable pieces of information and data points, we can understand how to tackle the problem. Only with data, can our students navigate the increasingly global and complex maze of decisions ahead, and avoid becoming part of the overwhelming statistic. We all want to answer the question: how are my kids doing? What has proven to work to get my child on track for future success? Are my students learning enough in one year? How much does it cost to make students college and career ready? The problem is we're using an outdated paradigm, where data is inaccurate, expensive to obtain, difficult to transport, and flows in only one direction: up. In nearly every other field, they use data differently. We can visit multiple doctors, in multiple places, and take our data with us. Businesses strategically gather data and tailor it to their specific needs, to make the best use of resources and provide the best return on their investment. We rely upon law enforcement to use data to identify issues before they become serious problems because the stakes are high, and the risks are real. To answer our questions, we need a new paradigm in education, where data is in context, reliable, timely, portable, and flows in all directions; so we can tailor data to find out exactly where we are, and where to go at each turn, and we can be notified instantly if we take a wrong turn; so we can all know where we stand, and that our children are on the right path. Most states now have data to answer our questions, and accomplish our goal. Let's use it! Because if we're not using data to determine where our children are going, what are we using? Data is power, we can't afford not to use it.