As part of its three-year strategic plan, the Illinois State Board of Education is launching a pilot program with 24 Illinois colleges and universities to develop plans for recruiting and retaining teachers of color. After the pilot program concludes, the Board plans to create best practices for the state's teacher prep programs. A report by the National Center for Teacher Quality indicated that, overall, almost one in three test-takers of color who fail the teacher licensing exam on the first attempt do not retake the test within three years.