Demographics of the United States' school system continue to change and diversify. Meeting the needs of diverse learners is critical to the success of all children. Building and sustaining equitable learning environments has proven to be a challenging task for school leaders. Barriers that hinder equity continue to plague schools and are rooted in systems of organizational injustice. Research suggests that leaders who are able to utilize socially just and culturally responsive leadership practices build and sustain equitable learning environments. School leaders have a large impact on the equity driven practices that exist within the organization; however, research indicates that they may not be prepared to lead such practices. Therefore, supporting the path of aspiring leaders through coaching, since they will eventually lead the charge, has great potential to be critical in the success of equity in our schools, and was the focus of this study. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and describe the coaching relationship between the principal and aspiring leader in order to understand how this relationship furthers the development of the aspiring leader into a school leader devoted to building and sustaining equitable learning environments. The research questions (RQ) are: Overarching RQ. How does the coaching relationship, if at all, support the development of aspiring leaders in the Principal Rapid Orientation and Preparation in Educational Leadership Program (PROPEL) as future leaders of equitable learning environments? RQ1. How do reflective practices support the coaching relationship as a means for transformation? RQ2. What are the lived experiences of the aspiring leader related to addressing their own personal cultural and racial bias? RQ3. What are the relational practices that aspiring leaders and principal coaches engage in to develop culturally responsive and socially just leadership practices? The study focused on four pairs of principal coaches and aspiring leaders/students in the PROPEL Program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). The sample also included a PROPEL program leader and leaders from Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) where the aspiring leaders are based.Various data collection methods were used including observations, document and artifact review, individual interviews, dyadic interviews and a focus group. Phase one of the study included an observation of a coaching session between each aspiring leader and principal coach pair. Dyadic interviews were conducted with both the aspiring leader and principal coach. Individual interviews were held with the PROPEL students and FAU program and district leaders. Students were asked to take photographs of their schools and community that represent matters of equity. These artifacts were examined in the focus group. Phase two of the study included a focus group. The focus group included the four aspiring leaders from the PROPEL program only. During the focus group, initial findings were presented and discussed for the purpose of triangulation, i.e., to see how the findings rang true for the participants. A document and artifact review was conducted throughout phases one and two of the study. A thorough analysis of data was conducted to include rounds of coding. I began with the organization of the data set. I utilized open and A Priori coding for the first cycle of data analysis. A code list was then developed and included descriptive, In Vivo and value coding (Saldana, 2016). All codes made up the master code list and from there I began the second cycle of data analysis. Following that cycle of coding, categories were created. Categories and themes were utilized to determine findings. Trustworthiness and credibility were addressed by member checking, triangulation of the data and the completion of a researcher reflection journal. Initial findings were produced and presented to a focus group in order to further triangulate the data before final findings were confirmed. There were three findings revealed from my research. The first finding was that reflective conversations that include feedback from the principal coach are an integral part of a strong coaching relationship and serve as a means to explore bias, address challenges to building equity in schools and support transformative learning of aspiring leaders. The second finding was a strong coaching relationship supported the growth of the students in social justice and culturally responsive leadership practices in partnership with coursework designed to create job embedded experiences in leading for equity. The third finding was that trust was the foundation of the coaching relationship between principal and aspiring leader. The study concludes that because leaders have a large impact on equity driven practices, aspiring leaders must be prepared to lead this charge. The first conclusion is that coaching aspiring leaders shows great promise in the success of equity in our schools. The second conclusion is that engaging in reflective practices with a trusting coaching is essential for a healthy coaching relationship. The third conclusion is that coaching in isolation is not enough to support the path of aspiring leaders in leading for equity. Aligned coursework as part of the leadership preparation program should also be included. Finally, the coaching relationship serves as a safe space for the aspiring leader to speak freely and learn from mistakes. Recommendations include leadership preparation programs imbedding elements of coaching in support of aspiring leaders. In addition, preparing principal coaches to engage in equity work with their coachee is another recommendation and is done through professional learning. Other recommendations include coaching that continues after the aspiring leader completes the preparation program. Recommendations for future research include analyzing the practice of self-nomination into the program rather than the aspiring leader being nominated by the principal coach. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]