In this note, I discuss a new approach to how national administrative education data - records of school census, public exams, school inspection, teacher payroll, and other operational matters, collected on routine basis - are integrated, shared, and used to generate knowledge. Drawing on examples from low- and middle-income countries, I demonstrate (a) how integrating and making available administrative data will deliver relevant policy and operational insights; (b) how this approach can engage individuals with the skills and incentives to solve data and policy problems with ministries of education; and (c) how increasing data use can be the fastest path to improving what is collected. I present Open Data for Education System Analysis as a strategy to change the way education data are used to facilitate better analysis and evidence for education.