Jaime Escalante changed minds and opinions about the possibility of successfully teaching demanding subjects to inner-city students. In 1982, 14 of Escalante’s students at Garfield High School in working-class East Los Angeles passed the Advanced Placement calculus exam. Many more students took and passed the challenging exam during Escalante’s years teaching at the school.
A native of Bolivia, Escalante came to the U.S. in 1963 with only $3, 000 and little English ability. His story was portrayed in the 1988 film "Stand and Deliver."
Escalante died Tuesday, March 30, in California. He was 79.