On Wednesday evening of last week, Grow Your Own Illinois celebrated the beginning of the new school year for nearly 100 aspiring teachers of color who are studying at 12 local universities to become public school educators. Across the state, attention on the current teacher shortage and the persistent diversity gap between teachers and public school students has been mounting. Grow Your Own Teachers aims to tackle the shortage of diverse teachers by providing comprehensive supports to community members who want to teach in their local schools. GYO provides financial, academic and social support for aspiring teachers of color who agree to serve for at least five years in a high needs public school or early childhood setting. Last week’s event also highlighted recent changes the state has made to address the shortage of diverse teachers, increasing funding for Grow Your Own programs across Illinois by $1 million and eliminating the Test of Academic Proficiency, a controversial standardized test that blocked many teacher candidates from entering the classroom.