This article seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What is keeping educators from moving districts and schools to high-performing data cultures? and (2) What vital role does leadership play? Three years ago, as a senior designer and facilitator, Jennifer Unger developed a data leadership academy to address challenges for leaders, whether they hailed from large school districts (e.g. Jacksonville, Fla.) or from smaller school districts and even individual schools. The goal was to establish a firm foundation for effective data use by all stakeholders in their educational systems. Academy content not only reflected on teachers' own experiences, but also what research, best practice literature, and national/state leadership standards were suggesting. Two major themes emerged: (1) Data use is frequently seen as a stand-alone initiative, something that educators do independently from everything else; and (2) Educators don't always have the big picture of what a high-performing data culture looks and sounds like and, as a result, fail to establish the systems and supports that will achieve it. In response to these themes, a model was developed to help leaders create and hold onto a big-picture vision for high-performing data cultures (Love, Stiles, Mundry, & DiRanna, 2008). Research and best practices show that high-performing data cultures exhibit characteristics listed under the heading "more emphasis on" (White & McIntosh, 2007; Miller, 2009; Armstrong & Anthes, 2001; Nunnaley, 2013). If schools and classrooms are to become high-performing data cultures that get results, leaders need to work together to forge a shared vision that connects the pieces and lays the groundwork for successful implementation. When they can bring this picture together, not only will students be learning at high levels, but leaders and teachers will be as well.