The Guide is a flexible tool that State Coordinators may customize as needed. NCHE recognizes that each state is unique in its approach to implementing the McKinney-Vento Act and in the time and resources a State Coordinator can devote to the planning process. Some states will use the templates included in the Guide as the foundation for a formal needs assessment and program planning process while others will use the templates in a more informal way to guide thoughtful discussions among a small group to plan yearly activities. The core of the planning process is effective use of data. In order to create the most relevant and useful plan, NCHE encourages State Coordinators to gather all existing data, including data from the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR), other state data on homeless students as compared to state averages, and data on implementation challenges derived from sources such as monitoring findings, phone and email records, and disputes. A review of the data will help State Coordinators identify areas for needed improvement as well as lead to establishing measurable goals to assess progress.