Data is a powerful tool to strengthen Career Technical Education (CTE) program quality, improve equity, empower stakeholders and enhance storytelling. But all too often, state agencies struggle to connect learner-level data across education levels and coordinate data collection and reporting to ensure all stakeholders have access to the information they need when they need it. In this session, Advance CTE introduced a new framework to help state leaders strengthen their career readiness data ecosystem. Participants learned the six core elements of a high-quality career readiness data ecosystem, identified resources and tools to conduct a statewide needs assessment and develop a comprehensive action plan, and heard from a leading state that is implementing a strategy to improve career readiness data quality and use.