Schools have long collected information about students, from basic emergency contact details to daily attendance statistics. But only recently have schools used education technology to collect solid, reliable information (or data) about how students learn--as well as details about their strengths, challenges, and individual traits that impact their learning. Having this kind of individual learning data is one of the best ways schools can help students succeed academically. This fact sheet explains the types of data schools collect and how they use education data to help individual students. It also explains who needs this education data and why.