For the past several years, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges has conducted applied research to inform and develop policies for increasing educational attainment and narrowing educational disparities in the state. In 2004, the board used student unit record data systems to conduct a longitudinal tracking study of adults attending community and technical colleges as first-time students with little or no prior postsecondary education. Most of the new students that were studied entered the college system through the literacy door for noncredit adult basic education. The study findings went on to initiate new dialogue in state government, in the state's higher education and workforce training policy boards, and on college campuses. In this article, the author describes the study and how its findings resulted in new policies and practices. He concludes with a discussion of how the state board is using research and data to increase achievement among all students by developing a new performance and improvement measurement system. (Contains 1 table.)