Executive Coaching of School Leaders in a Mid-Sized Urban School District: Development of a Model of Effective Practice

Abstract

Despite the rapid growth of executive coaching in the business world and nascent interest in education, there is no solid research base around how coaching impacts leadership. Following the development of analytical case studies of coach and school leader dyads, we use causal process analysis to trace the complex pathways in which coaches impact leader development. In this process, we attempt to move beyond lists of traits and activities of effective coaching practice to develop a theoretical framework layered with thick description of leadership coaching situated within the context of a high poverty mid-sized urban school district. Findings include insights into the structures and practices that promote strong trusting relationships between the coach and coachee, how this relationship is central to deepening the impact of the coach’s work, and how co-leading provides the means of both modeling and guiding leaders toward personal and school improvement.

Citation

Weathers, J.M. and White, G.P. (2015), "Executive Coaching of School Leaders in a Mid-Sized Urban School District: Development of a Model of Effective Practice", Leading Small and Mid-Sized Urban School Districts (Advances in Educational Administration, Vol. 22), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 191-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-366020150000022020