DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET    THE ROLE OF THE EDUCATION LEADER   As you follow the ideas in the book, these five guiding principles for sup- porting and evaluating teachers will come to life. But before we jump into the important work of evaluation and support, let’s take a moment for reflection. Let’s identify what you are already doing well in your daily work of evaluating and supporting teachers, as well as what areas might need improvement. ASSESSING YOUR CURRENT PRACTICES We expect teachers to reflect on their practices in order to meet the needs of children. It is important for leaders to reflect too. Use the two tools that follow to help you examine the current situation in your center or school. The first (see page 12) is a quick observation tool to assess your teachers’ behaviors and prac- tices. The second (see page 13) is a self-​assessment to help you evaluate your own behaviors and practices. Reproducible versions of both tools can be found in the appendix. The checklist items on the tools illustrate behaviors and actions that should be evident for each guiding principle. The results will reveal how well you are currently following the guiding principles and provide some clues about how your behaviors and practices may affect your work of evaluation and support. • • • How did you do with these quick surveys? First, congratulate yourself on the items you answered with “always” and “usually” in either survey! You and your program are on the right track here. Did you reply “always” or “usually” for ev- ery statement under any of the guiding principle categories on both forms? If so, you are likely following that guiding principle consistently in your practice. Keep it up! Second, focus on the items you answered with “sometimes” and “never” on the forms. These are areas that need improvement. In these areas, evaluation and support are not consistently happening well. Take note of any patterns in your answers under particular guiding principles. Which principle appears to need the most improvement? Now compare the answers from the observation of teachers’ behaviors and your self-​assessment. Analyze their similarities. Do you see a connection be- tween what the teachers do and what you do? For example, do the teachers listen to one another? Do you listen to them? Do the teachers understand and COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 11