This report suggests five ways that states and the federal government can leverage data and research to help their pre-K spending have the intended impact. For states, that includes: Using research and data to inform program design, Having an analytics unit to make sense of the data, Measuring program quality based on the quality of child experiences, and Using data to prioritize service to children who need it most. For the federal government, it means investing in state-level data and analytic infrastructure so that states can make smart decisions about pre-K investment. (author abstract)