Photo courtesy of The National Institute For Excellence in Teaching. February 18, 2021 By Jen Oliver, NIET Indiana Director— Editor’s note: This article was first published by The National Institute For Excellence in Teaching and is republished here with permission. Muncie, IN—While Muncie Community Schools could not have known at the time, the district launched one of the most important initiatives for supporting student success right as the pandemic was moving in: establishing and strengthening a teacher leadership pipeline. The district received a Career Ladders grant from the state in February 2020, right before COVID-19 forced schools to close. Hiring and training expert master teachers in every school, as well as training mentor teachers, immediately created a network of support that proved vital in supporting student learning over the next several months.