Dr. Mario Acosta spent 20 years of his educational career as a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, academic director, and principal leading schools with diverse profiles.

He was named the 2022 Principal of the Year in the state of Texas while he was the principal at Westwood High School, a U.S. News & World Report top-50 campus and member of the High Reliability Schools (HRS) Network.

His latest book is The Schools Our Students Deserve: A Comprehensive Framework for Shaping Exceptional School Culture.

In this episode, recorded for The Authority Podcast, Mario and host Ross Romano discuss:

What are the schools our students deserve? Are we asking this question enough?
The current state of schools and identifying the gaps
Outcomes students deserve…
The values to center in a school’s culture
Many schools saw temporary bursts of innovation after the pandemic, but struggled to sustain them. How can leaders build on the urgency of that moment and create lasting change?
How does a leader take charge of the culture?
Building support from the community
Attracting high-quality educators and retaining them long-term

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt