Two categories of elementary-secondary data collected by the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES) are discussed: teacher data, and school finance data. Current NCES practices and their limitations are discussed, additional data needs for research and policymaking are identified, and modifications for data collection are suggested. Teachers are viewed as one aspect of educational resources for which finances are allocated. Current NCES financial data collection, which includes the Common Core of Data (CCD) State Fiscal Report and Public School District Finance Report, distinguish the sources of revenue and the types of services supported. State data are reported in the Condition of Education and Digest of Education Statistics. Problems with these reports include the time lag before publication, the lack of published data on school district-level expenses and revenue, and the changes in data categories used, with decreasing detail. This makes it difficult to relate expenditure data to information about resources. NCES has collected very little data on teachers, even though concerns about teacher quality, compensation, and supply and demand are high. Inter-school district comparative data are badly needed. Suggestions for improvement include compilation of state-by-state data on teacher characteristics, construction of a general database, study of teacher pay systems, and longitudinal studies. (GDC)