While every state now has the ability to use data to guide education policy decisions, the reality is many don't still take advantage of it.

The latest snapshot of state-by-state progress on information sharing, Data for Action 2011, was released yesterday by the Data Quality Campaign, a national collaborative based in Washington that encourages the use of data to improve student achievement.

The DQC outlines what it calls 10 Essential Elements of Statewide Longitudinal Data System...