Journal of K-12 Educational Research 7 Principal Professional Development It is argued that principals do not receive the support and professional development needed to remain committed to their roles (School Leaders Network [SLN], 2014). SLN’s (2014) claim aligns with Snodgrass Rangel’s (2018) acknowledgment that professional development was a listed reason for principal turnover. Professional development may not be the only factor that keeps a principal in the principalship, but considering the role of the principal, principal professional development is worth attention. Effective principal professional development should be continuous and has a trifold impact because a principal’s learning strengthens student outcomes, culture, and leadership (Ikemoto et al., 2014). Adult Learning Based on the attributes of adult learning, there are various connections between adult learning and coaching. Cox (2015) reported coaching can support the theories of andragogy based adult learning if the coachee’s needs drive the process, the coachee’s experiences are a part of coaching, the coaching is relevant, and if there is a connection between what the coachee values and coaching outcomes. Coaching based in the transformative adult learning theory allows for the coachees to develop an awareness of their thinking and habits to develop new understandings (Cox, 2015). Griffiths (2015) admitted that learning derived from coaching must continue to be explored in the educational context, and coaching may serve as a model for effective learning worth considering. Executive Coaching Overall, the outcomes of the executive coaching literature varied. MacKie’s (2007) review of various executive coaching studies and literature based in coaching outcomes determined that coached leaders focused more on leadership and coaching others than uncoached leaders. However, Susing (2016) contended that coaching outcomes can be inconsistent and therefore not worth the investment of coaching, but she also shared executive coaching could be impactful if the coaching is based in evidence, has learning goals, and includes some suggestions. Lastly, the executive coaching literature review revealed the following factors impact coaching: • The effectiveness of the coach (Dagley, 2010); • The coaching model and coaches’ background (Koortzen & Oosthuizen, 2010); and • The mindset of the coachee, timeliness of the coaching, and coaching style (Susing, 2016). For executive coaching to have the greatest impact, these factors must be considered. Summary of Findings and Interpretation of Results Five themes were identified as a result of the researcher’s review, coding, and analysis of interview responses. The themes determined were focus, personalization, relationship, accountability, and growth. Figure 1 displays the five themes and first level child codes. The Role of the Principal During the interviews, principals were asked to define the role of the principal to further understand their needs as principals and recognize supportive professional development based on their role as principal. In naming a multitude of responsibilities, the researcher coded all of their responsibilities to the five principal standards of T-PESS, an evaluation and support system for Texas principals, which include instructional leadership, human capital, executive leadership, school culture, and strategic operations. Instructional leadership and human capital were coded the most times based on principals’ responses. Half of the principals interviewed shared comments that expressed the complexity of the role based on having to accomplish a variety of expectations in different contexts with all stakeholders. Focus: Theme 1 of 5 Principals’ use of words such as focus, intentional, and targeted along with examples of ways in which they narrowed the focus of their work as a result of executive coaching culminated in focus being a theme. Eleven of the 12 principals perceived executive coaching helped with focusing on products or work, their growth, district and campus priorities, and their goals or plans. Two principals credited focus being timely according to current circumstances. Several principals even claimed to be more focused as a result of executive coaching.
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