The lack of high quality data to describe and monitor U.S. educational systems hampers reform decisions and will impair reform evaluation. This paper sets forth the Council of Chief State School Officers' (CCSSO) recommendations for the Council and federal, state, and local education agencies to help improve the quality of educational indicators. The CCSSO will assume a national leadership role in the formulation and coordination of educational assessment policies. Recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education include: (1) integrating evaluation project reports; (2) revising the "State Education Statistics" (popularly known as Secretary Bell's "Wall Chart"); (3) providing financial aids for state assessment programs; and (4) continuing joint federal/state/local planning. It is recommended that each state: (1) develop a systematic approach to monitoring education in relationship to state goals and context; (2) establish high standards for its collection and presentation of outcome indicators; and (3) work with other states to establish a core set of indicators for across-state comparisons. (BS)