TEACHING FOR ACTON

The Acton School of Business in Austin, Texas is led by successful entrepreneurs who are dedicated to transforming the lives of their students and changing how business leaders are taught.

The Acton MBA is an intense twelve month experience. Students spend eighty to ninety hours each week making tough decisions in over 300 real world case studies, selling products door-to-door and building assembly lines. In the Life of Meaning course, Acton Scholars dig deeply into themselves to find their "calling" in business, a lifelong mission where special gifts and deep desires can answer a deep burning need in the world.

The difference between Acton and other academic institutions are stark, as noted by Forbes: "The school's ten, full- and part-time faculty operates as if they were working in the private sector: There's no tenure; teachers live by student evaluations that can determine whether an instructor keeps his job."

Our Goals for Students

Our courses are designed to teach students to:

Learn how to Learn. The case method encourages students to listen intently, think logically and communicate clearly. Unlike narrow technical skills that rapidly become obsolete, knowing how to learn benefits individuals for a lifetime.
Learn how to Make Money. We want our students to leave the program with world-class money-making skills. Our graduates will have the know-how, tools, frameworks and philosophies they need to operate a business and harvest the rewards.
Live a Life of Meaning. By the time our students graduate, they will have a clear vision of their lifelong goals and a framework for making the right choices at work, at home, and in their community.

Training Process

The Acton teacher training program requires a serious commitment to survive three demanding phases:

Phase I

A potential applicant schedules a class visit, in order to see the case method firsthand.
To ascertain the prospect's objectives, the Executive Director arranges a short feedback discussion after class and discusses options for participating in the Acton MBA program.
The applicant submits a resume and bio.
Depending on the prospect's interests and current program needs, three more class visits will be scheduled.

Phase II

The Acton Master Teaching Committee meets to determine if a prospect is ready to become a "Practitioner" (Teacher in Training). A unanimous "yes" vote grants the prospect Practitioner status.
A Lead Master Teacher is assigned to the Practitioner.
The new Practitioner reads all materials and books in the introductory packet and signs a Practitioner contract.
Over the course of a year, the Practitioner works closely with his/her Lead Teacher in learning Acton's teaching methods.
The Practitioner observes three additional classes, taught by three different Master Teachers.
Practitioner must attend one case teaching workshop.
Practitioner is rated by Acton students. In order to be recommended for Teacher status, the Practitioner must maintain a rating of 4.30 or higher.

Phase III

A Lead Master Teacher evaluates the performance and ratings of the Practitioner and makes a recommendation to the Master Teacher Group.
The Practitioner must be recommended by a unanimous vote of the Master Teacher Committee and by a majority of all available Teachers.

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Contact Georgia Spaeth, Acton's Executive Director, at or (512) 703-1236 for more information on teaching at Acton.