School counselors know that data is important, but tackling the collection, analysis, and interpretation of it can feel overwhelming and confusing. Administrators and teachers may struggle to clearly understand how data is used to drive the school counseling program's identification of needs and development of action plans. In this session, we’ll review how data impacts the school counseling program and look at six different kinds of data you should know about. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to acquire and analyze data to develop your comprehensive school counseling program, and the confidence to apply your results to influence student achievement, discipline and attendance. At the end of the presentation, you will be able to: 1. Explain the purpose and importance of using data in your school counseling program. 2. Understand six types of data and their sources. 3. Specifically seek data to identify needs and influence action plans. 4. Share data with stakeholders to demonstrate your impact.