Inside Dallas ISD

When Antonio Jose Cisneros Tirado, fifth-grade teacher at the School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove agreed to start a debate program, he didn’t picture himself walking away with the Middle School City Championship New Coach of the Year Award in his very first season.  He just wanted to give his students something he never had. Cisneros grew up in Mexico City, in what he simply describes as “el barrio.” He was a talented, high-achieving kid, but public options for gifted education were almost nonexistent. He remembers looking around and hoping there would be a better option  for…

When Willie Johnson arrived at South Oak Cliff High School as principal in 2016, expectations for student performance from outside of the campus were low. Inside the building, however, he saw something different for the talented students who simply needed the right environment to thrive.  Nearly a decade later, his vision has transformed into measurable success. Johnson was recently named Dallas ISD’s Secondary Principal of the Year, an honor that pairs well with another measure of success for his campus, achieving an 89  accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency.    At South Oak Cliff, excellence isn’t aspirational; it’s expected.   “We…

Math facts may seem simple, but learning them early on makes a difference in how students approach the subject. Last year, Dallas ISD launched Math Magic, an initiative focused on helping first through third graders with their basic facts. What began as a new idea quickly grew into a districtwide movement: 98 schools participated, reaching more than 18,000 students. By May, 12,250 students had earned their Math Magic T-shirt by reaching all six milestones “It’s always nice to see something come to fruition,” said Aaron Daffern, director of mathematics in Academic Services. “This is something new, it is something different,…

When two third graders asked Patricia Cortez, Texas history teacher at the School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove, to start an all-girls robotics team, she said no. The school’s robotics team just returned from the VEX World Championship. The team had trophies, momentum, and a winning formula. The girls on the team, however, did not feel like they were fully participating in the experience.  “They told me they felt intimidated,” Cortez said. “They said they wanted their own team where they could take on bigger roles.” Cortez heard them, but she hesitated because of her lack of…