In a March 8, 2010 Education Sector article, author Bill Tucker discussed the disparity between the billions of dollars spent on upgrading schools data systems and the actual use of data at the classroom level stating, ..despite states' and districts' tremendous progress in building data systems, policymakers are not yet routinely using these new data to improve accountability systems, support performance management processes, evaluate programs, or influence resource allocation decisions. And most importantly, the data is not yet being used where it matters most—in the classroom.

How do we know if we are preparing students for life after high school? Are our current measures of high school quality indicative of how well their graduates fare after high school? Are there existing practices that states and others can use to inform these questions?