DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET 10   CHAPTER ONE   we use the principles that teachers use to support children’s learning to support teachers’ growth and development? What if we use a parallel process and treat teachers the same way we want them to treat children? I don’t mean to oversim- plify the issue. Teachers are adults, and their adult needs and characteristics have to be taken into consideration, but we can adapt what we know about teaching children to create a process for supporting teachers for maximum effectiveness. What is good for the children is good for the teachers. This concept of a parallel process for supporting teachers has always made sense to me. I have honed it through my studies in early education, adult edu­ cation, and organization development, and through my work as a teacher of children and of teachers, an administrator, a coach, and an advocate for quality. I believe that the alignment of organizational development, adult professional development, and child development is crucial to quality in education. A calm and efficient organization begets a calm and effective teacher begets calm and learning children. In this spirit, and using Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Child- hood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 (Copple and Bredekamp 2009) as our guide, I suggest five guiding principles for evaluating and support- ing teachers that parallel what teachers are expected to do with children. Five Guiding Principles for Educating Children and for Evaluating and Supporting Teachers CHILDREN GET A QUALITY EDUCATION WHEN TEACHERS . . . EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS GET QUALITY PROFESSIONAL EVALUATION AND SUPPORT WHEN LEADERS . . . 1. Create a caring community of learners 1. Create a caring community of workers 2. Enhance development and learning 3. Plan an appropriate curriculum 4. Assess development 2. Enhance professional competence 3. Provide appropriate direction and resources 4. Assess professional skills and growth 5. Facilitate involvement in the field of early childhood education 5. Develop reciprocal relationships with families Copple and Bredekamp 2009, 16–23 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL