AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALES IN RURAL EAST TEXAS THAT TRANSITIONED FROM COACHING INTO EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological inquiry was to gain a more in depth insight into a unique phenomenon of five African- American administrators in rural public schools in East Texas that have made the transition from athletic coaching to educational leadership.Through the use of interviews, phenomenological inquiry allowed the inquirer to gain a more in depth personal account into a phenomenon, in hopes of discovering the true essence in which makes this shared, lived experience so unique. All participants in this inquiry were African-American male administrators and had at least four years’ experience as a coach before their transition into educational leadership in which they currently preside, where they have at least eleven years of experience. This study has helped to fill a gap literature and provide a voice for the underrepresented African-American male in educational leadership, while incorporating Schlossberg’s 4S system (the situation, self, support, and strategies) in examining the challenges and complexities of coaches that have transitioned from coaching to educational leadership in rural East Texas. Four themes emerged during this transcendental inquiry to be significant:(a) transformational leadership, (b) relationships,(c) missing coaching, and (d) race