Research makes clear that having effective and diverse teachers in every classroom matters while teacher turnover, unfilled positions, and underprepared teachers all have a negative impact on student outcomes. In addition, school leaders have a significant influence on a school's climate and culture, impacting teacher retention, student learning, and more. This report examines one of the most significant challenges facing Illinois public schools: ensuring recruiting and retaining well-prepared and diverse teachers and leaders to guide students in every school. A follow-up to the 2022 report "The State We're In," the new report finds signs of stability and even improvement to Illinois' educator pipeline during the exceptionally challenging COVID-19 pandemic period. The report also outlines where there is work ahead to ensure there are high-quality, diverse educators in every Illinois classroom and underscores the equity implications at the heart of this issue. [Additional funding for the report was by the McDougal Family Foundation.]