Dallas Teacher Wins New Coach of the Year in First Season

Antonio Jose Cisneros Tirado, a fifth-grade teacher at the School for the Talented and Gifted (STAG) in Pleasant Grove, has been named the Middle School City Championship New Coach of the Year. He received the award in his first season coaching the school's newly established debate team.

Cisneros initiated the program to provide opportunities for gifted students, drawing from his own background. He grew up in Mexico City and noted that public options for gifted education were limited in his community. After earning a degree from Universidad de las Américas Puebla, a master’s and doctorate from the University of East Anglia in England, and holding academic positions in Mexico and North Carolina, he joined Dallas ISD.

Principal Reymundo Cervantes Guajardo asked Cisneros to start the debate program despite his lack of prior coaching experience. Cisneros received training from Evan Gilbert of the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance and began recruiting students based on their ability to analyze, write arguments, and deliver speeches.

The team practiced for one hour per week on Thursdays after school, with no designated class period. Students were required to read materials and prepare note cards independently. During practice, they focused on reading, speaking, cross-examinations, rebuttals, and flowing, which involves taking notes on opponents' speeches in real time.

The team achieved immediate success, sweeping the podium with first, second, and third place finishes in their first tournament in the beginners policy category. They continued to place in the top 10 throughout the season. In one instance, a student who had to debate alone against full teams finished second overall. Cisneros noted that this student improved his grades to maintain eligibility, eventually earning all As.

STAG, which opened in 2018, serves a student body that is approximately 98% economically disadvantaged and predominantly Latino. The school has risen to become a top-seven middle school and top-12 elementary school in Texas.