Publicly reporting timely, actionable, and comprehensible data is one of the most powerful ways states can promote transparency, strengthen accountability, and ensure that everyone with a stake in education--parents, educators, policymakers, researchers, and members of the public and press-- has access to the information they need to make good decisions. It is also one of the most visible ways states can demonstrate the tremendous value of their data systems. Currently, however, public reporting efforts in most states are geared toward compliance with state and federal laws, rather than being intentionally designed to meet people's needs. Consequently, most publicly reported data go unseen or unused, limiting their ability to promote and support improvements in student achievement and system performance. Data are powerful tools for informing stakeholder decisions, but they are not likely to be used if they are not presented in actionable formats tailored to specific stakeholder needs. State policymakers must take a leadership role in promoting high-quality public reporting. They can support public reporting as a strategy for improving student performance by taking the following actions: (1) ensuring that publicly reported data are accurate, trustworthy, and safeguarded; (2) maintaining coordination across P-20/workforce entities; (3) ensuring that publicly reported data meet the information needs of all stakeholders; and (4) ensuring that information is easy to find, access, and understand. This brief discusses the following: (1) the effects of transparent data on the actions of parents, administrators, and policymakers; (2) the current landscape of public reporting efforts; (3) examples of high-quality public reporting in Washington, DC, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Maryland; and (4) recommendations for state policymakers. The following are appended: (1) Stakeholder Questions; and (2) Related Organizational Work.