Jaime Escalante | |
Born | December 31, 1930 |
---|---|
Died | March 30, 2010 (aged 79) Roseville, California, U.S.[1] |
Spouse(s) | Fabiola Tapia |
Children | 2 |
Jaime Alfonso Escalante Gutierrez (December 31, 1930 – March 30, 2010) was an American educator known for teaching students calculus from 1974 to 1991 at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. Escalante was the subject of the 1988 film, Stand and Deliver, in which he is portrayed by Edward James Olmos.
The Jaime Escalante Math Program is an intense accelerated program in which your son/daughter can learn one year of math in only seven weeks. If you would like to enroll your son/daughter in a summer 2015 math class, stop by our office in B2-107 to pick up an application. Applications will be available December 1st through December 12th.
In 1993, the asteroid 5095 Escalante was named after him.[2]
Early life[edit]
Jaime Escalante Math Program Summer 2016
Escalante was born in 1930 in La Paz, Bolivia. Both of his parents were teachers. Escalante was proud of his Aymara heritage.[3][4]
Education[edit]
- Unspecified Year: Escuela Normal Simón Bolivar, School Teacher Degree
- 1955: University Mayor de San Andres, Licentiate in Mathematics
- 1969: Associate of Arts, Pasadena City College
- 1973: Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, California State University, Los Angeles
- 1977: Standard teaching credential, California State University, Los Angeles
- 1982: Standard teaching credential, California State University, Los Angeles
- 1984: Standard teaching credential, Florida State University, Florida
Early career[edit]
Escalante taught mathematics and physics for 12 years in Bolivia before he immigrated to the United States.[4] He worked various different jobs while teaching himself English and earning another college degree before he eventually returned to the classroom as an educator.'[5]
In 1974, he began teaching at Garfield High School. Escalante eventually changed his mind about returning to work when he found 12 students willing to take an algebra class.[6]
Shortly after Escalante came to Garfield High School, its accreditation became threatened. Instead of gearing classes to poorly performing students, Escalante offered AP Calculus. He had already earned the criticism of an administrator, who disapproved of his requiring the students to answer a homework question before being allowed into the classroom. 'He told me to just get them inside,' Escalante reported, 'but I said, there is no teaching, no learning going on.'[7]
Determined to change the status quo, Escalante persuaded a few students that they could control their futures with the right education. He promised them that they could get jobs in engineering, electronics, and computers if they would learn math: 'I'll teach you math and that's your language. With that, you're going to make it. You're going to college and sit in the first row, not the back because you're going to know more than anybody.'[8]
The school administration opposed Escalante frequently during his first few years. He was threatened with dismissal by an assistant principal because he was coming in too early, leaving too late, and failing to get administrative permission to raise funds to pay for his students' Advanced Placement tests. The opposition changed with the arrival of a new principal, Henry Gradillas. Aside from allowing Escalante to stay, Gradillas overhauled the academic curriculum at Garfield, reducing the number of basic math classes and requiring those taking basic math to take algebra as well. He denied extracurricular activities to students who failed to maintain a C average and to new students who failed basic skills tests. One of Escalante's students remarked, 'If he wants to teach us that bad, we can learn.'[7]
Escalante continued to teach at Garfield and instructed his first calculus class in 1978. Escalante recruited fellow teacher Ben Jiménez and taught calculus to five students, two of whom passed the AP calculus test. The following year, the class size increased to nine students, seven of whom passed the AP calculus test. By 1981, the class had increased to 15 students, 14 of whom passed. Escalante placed a high priority on pressuring his students to pass their math classes, particularly calculus. He rejected the common practice of ranking students from first to last but frequently told his students to press themselves as hard as possible in their assignments.[6]
National attention[edit]
In 1982, Escalante first gained media attention when 18 of his students passed the Advanced Placement Calculus exam. The Educational Testing Service found the scores to be suspicious because they all made exactly the same math error on the sixth problem, and they also used the same unusual variable names. Fourteen of those who passed were asked to take the exam again. Twelve of them agreed to retake the test and all did well enough to have their scores reinstated.
Westlake Theatre building, side wall mural of Jaime Escalante and Edward James Olmos.
In 1983, the number of students enrolling and passing the calculus test more than doubled. That year, 33 students took the exam, and 30 passed. That year, he also started teaching calculus at East Los Angeles College.[9] By 1987, 73 students passed the AB version of the exam and another 12 passed the BC version. That was the peak for the calculus program. The same year, Gradillas went on sabbatical to finish his doctorate with hopes that he could be reinstated as principal at Garfield or a similar school with a similar program upon his return.[citation needed]
In 1988, a book, Escalante: The Best Teacher in America by Jay Mathews, and a film, Stand and Deliver, were released on the events of 1982. Teachers and other interested observers asked to sit in on his classes. He shared with them: 'The key to my success with youngsters is a very simple and time-honored tradition: hard work for teacher and student alike.' Escalante received visits from political leaders and celebrities, including President Ronald Reagan and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[10] In 1990, Escalante worked with the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education to produce the video series Futures, which won a Peabody Award.[11]
Escalante has described the film as '90% truth, 10% drama.' He stated that several points were left out of the film:
- It took him several years to achieve the kind of success shown in the film.
- No student who did not know multiplication tables or fractions was ever taught calculus in a single year.
- Escalante suffered inflammation of the gall bladder, not a heart attack.
Over the next few years, Escalante's calculus program continued to grow. In his final years at Garfield, Escalante received threats and hate mail.[12] By 1990, he had lost the math department chairmanship. Escalante's math enrichment program had grown to more than 400 students. His class sizes had increased to over 50 students in some cases. That was far beyond the 35 student limit set by the teachers' union, which increased its criticism of Escalante's work.[citation needed] In 1991, the number of Garfield students taking advanced placement examinations in math and other subjects jumped to 570. The same year, citing faculty politics and petty jealousies,[citation needed] Escalante and Jiménez left Garfield. Escalante found new employment at Hiram W. Johnson High School in Sacramento, California. At the height of Escalante's success, Garfield graduates were entering the University of Southern California in such great numbers that they outnumbered all the other high schools in the working-class East Los Angeles region combined.[13] Even students who failed the AP often went on to study at California State University, Los Angeles.[12]
Angelo Villavicencio took over the program after Escalante's departure, teaching the remaining 107 AP students in two classes over the following year. Sixty-seven of Villavicencio's students went on to take the AP exam and forty-seven passed.The math program's decline at Garfield became apparent following the departure of Escalante and other teachers associated with its inception and development. In just a few years, the number of AP calculus students at Garfield who passed their exams dropped by more than 80%. In 1996, Villavicencio contacted Garfield's new principal, Tony Garcia, and offered to come back to help revive the dying calculus program. His offer was rejected.[12]
Later life[edit]
In the mid-1990s, Escalante became a strong supporter of English-only education efforts. In 1997, he joined Ron Unz's English for the Children initiative, which eventually ended most bilingual education in California schools.[citation needed]
In 2001, after many years of preparing teenagers for the AP calculus exam, Escalante returned to his native Bolivia. He lived in his wife's hometown, Cochabamba, and taught at Universidad Privada del Valle.[14] He returned to the United States frequently to visit his children.
In early 2010, Escalante faced financial difficulties from the cost of his cancer treatment. Cast members from Stand and Deliver, including Edward James Olmos, and some of Escalante's former pupils, raised funds to help pay for his medical bills.
He moved to Sacramento, California, to live with his son in the city of Rancho Cordova, where he taught at Hiram Johnson High School.[15]
Death and legacy[edit]
Escalante died on March 30, 2010 at his son's home while undergoing treatment for bladder cancer. He was 79.[16][17]
On April 1, 2010, a memorial service honoring Escalante was held at the Garfield High School. Students observed a moment of silence on the front steps of the campus.[18] A wake was also held on April 17, 2010 in a classroom at Garfield.[19]
Another tribute to Escalante occurred in Portland, Oregon, where an unnamed artist replaced real street signs with fake ones as a prank, including 'N Jaime Escalante Ave.'[20]
Escalante is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier Lakeside Gardens without a headstone. In 2016, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in his likeness.[21]
Awards and honors[edit]
- 1988 – Presidential Medal for Excellence in Education, awarded by President Ronald Reagan[22]
- 1988 – Hispanic Heritage Awards Honoree
- 1989 – Honorary Doctor of Science – University of Massachusetts Boston[23]
- 1990 – Honorary Doctor of Humanities – California State University, Los Angeles[24]
- 1990 – Honorary Doctor of Education – Concordia University, Montreal[25]
- 1990 – Honorary Doctor of Laws – University of Northern Colorado[26]
- 1990 – Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[27]
- 1998 – Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters – Wittenberg University[28]
- 1998 – Free Spirit Award, from the Freedom Forum
- 1998 – Andrés Bello prize, from the Organization of American States
- 1999 – Inductee National Teachers Hall of Fame[29]
- 2002 – Member, President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans[30]
- 2005 – The Highest Office Award – Center for Youth Citizenship
- 2005 – Best teacher in North America – Freedom Forum
- 2014 – Foundational Award Winner, posthumously given to Fabiola Escalante (together with Henry Gradillas and Angelo Villavicencio) – Escalante–Gradillas Best in Education Prize[31]
- 2016 – The United States Postal Service issued a 1st Class Forever 'Jaime Escalante' stamp to honor 'the East Los Angeles teacher whose inspirational methods led supposedly 'unteachable' high school students to master calculus.'
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Woo, Elaine (March 31, 2010). 'Jaime Escalante dies at 79; math teacher who challenged East L.A. students to 'Stand and Deliver''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2010.[dead link]
- ^Michigan State University Newsroom – MSU spring commencement speakers reflect dedication to education[permanent dead link]
- ^Anne E. Schraff, Jaime Escalante: Inspirational Math Teacher (ISBN978-0766029675), p. 12-13
- ^ ab'Jaime Escalante Bio'. The Futures Channel. Archived from the original on 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
- ^'Jaime Escalante biography'. A+E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
- ^ abMathews
- ^ abWoo, Elaine (31 March 2010). 'Jaime Escalante dies at 79; math teacher who challenged East L.A. students to 'Stand and Deliver''. Los Angeles Times.
- ^La Brecque, Ron (6 November 1988). 'Something More Than Calculus'. The New York Times.
- ^Rude, John (29 January 2015). 'Escalante Program Proves Its Worth'. East Los Angeles College.
- ^Jay Mathews, Escalante: The Best Teacher in America (ISBN0-8050-1195-1), p. 210
- ^'Futures'. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ abcJesness, Jerry (July 2002). 'Stand and Deliver Revisited'. Reason. (Archive)
- ^Mathews, p. 297
- ^'Más de 400 alumnos rindieron Homenaje al Profesor Jaime Escalante'. Gobierno Autonoma Departmental Santa Cruz. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^Bates, Karen Grigsby (March 9, 2010). 'Students 'Stand And Deliver' For Former Teacher'. All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^Raquel Maria Dillon, Associated Press (2010-03-30). 'Teacher Who Inspired 'Stand and Deliver' Film Dies'. ABC News. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
- ^Bermudez, Esmeralda (February 2010). 'From his sickbed, Garfield High legend is still delivering'. Los Angeles Times.
- ^Simmons, Ann M. (1 April 2010). 'Garfield High pays tribute to Jaime Escalante'. L.A. NOW.
- ^Leovy, Jill (17 April 2010). 'Honoring a legendary teacher and his legacy'. Los Angeles Times.
- ^Mirk, Sarah (2010-04-01). 'Prank Renames Interstate to 'Tonya Harding Ave''. blogtown.portlandmercury.com. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
- ^'Jaime Escalante Stamp | USPS.com'. store.usps.com. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
- ^'Schwarzenegger Convenes Education Summit'. September 10, 2003. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^Reid, Alexander (June 2, 1991). 'UMass Speaker Stresses Need for Science, Technology Education'. The Boston Globe. p. 42. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^'History of Cal State L.A.'California State University, Los Angeles. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
CSU/CSLA honorary doctorate awarded to alumnus Jaime Escalante '73, '77, '82 at 43rd Commencement.
- ^[1]Archived August 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^'University of Northern Colorado Honorary Degrees Conferred'(PDF). University of Northern Colorado. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 7, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national
- ^''Hero' Teacher Escalante Addresses Students At Wittenberg Commencement May 9'. Wittenberg University. April 13, 2004. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^'Jaime Escalante: 1999 Inductee'. National Teachers Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 4, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^'Presidential Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans'. White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^'Escalante-Gradillas $20,000 Prize for Best in Education'. The Best Schools. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
External links[edit]
- Jaime Escalante at Find a Grave
- Jamie Escalante and the Lancaster Amish An MP3 of a talk by John Taylor Gatto
- Jaime Escalante documented his techniques in Escalante, Jaime; Dirmann, Jack (Summer 1990). 'The Jaime Escalante Math Program'(PDF). The Journal of Negro Education. 59 (3): 407–423. doi:10.2307/2295573. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jaime_Escalante&oldid=910182516'
A Bolivian immigrant who worked as a math teacher in East Los Angeles, Jaime Escalante gained national recognition for transforming the math department of a poor Hispanic high school. Escalante's unorthodox teaching style motivated hundreds of students to sacrifice their free time and other activities to study for the Advanced Placement math test. His high success rate led to national acclaim, as well as external funding for his educational programs. His story became the subject of a 1988 Hollywood film titled Stand and Deliver.
Jaime Alfonso Escalante Gutiérrez was born on December 31, 1930, in La Paz, Bolivia. He was the second child born to Zenobio and Sara Escalante, who both worked as poorly paid schoolteachers. The Escalantes worked in the remote Aymara and Quechua Indian villages, and Escalante grew up in a town on the high plain called Achacachi. The family of seven lived in three rooms rented from a doctor. As a child Escalante amused himself by playing soccer, basketball, and handball. He also spent a considerable amount of time with his grandfather, who was a retired teacher and an amateur philosopher.
Escalante's father was an abusive alcoholic, so his mother took the children and moved to La Paz. When Escalante was 14 years old his mother sent him to San Calixto, a prestigious Jesuit high school, where his favorite subjects were math and engineering. When Escalante was a teenager his father died, which meant that the family would not be able to afford to send him to engineering school as he had hoped. Instead, Escalante did odd jobs until he was 19 years old, when he briefly joined the army to fight against leftist rebellions. When his service was over, a friend convinced Escalante to go to college at Normal Superior in order to become a school teacher.
Early Teaching Experience
After only two years at Normal Superior, Escalante's remarkable abilities in physics and mathematics were apparent to his classmates and teachers alike. There was a shortage of physics teachers at the American Institute, and Escalante was offered the job, even though he had not yet been exposed to teacher training classes. At the age of 21, with no books and no experience, Escalante began teaching physics. He learned the skills of teaching by imitating other teachers whom he respected, and through trial and error.
At a Glance . . .
Escalante Program Elac
Born Jaime Alfonso Escalante Gutiérrez on December 31, 1930, in La Paz, Bolivia; son of Zenobio (a schoolteacher) and Sara (a schoolteacher) Escalante; married, Fabiola Tapia; children: Jaime Jr., Fernando. Education: Pasadena City College, A.A., 1969; California State University at Los Angeles, B.A., 1972; California State University at Los Angeles, teaching certificate, 1974. Religion: Roman Catholic. Military Service: Bolivian Army, 1950.
Career: High school math and physics teacher, La Paz, Bolivia, 1954-63; high school math teacher, Garfield High School, East Los Angeles, California, 1974-91; calculus teacher, East Los Angeles Community College, 1983-91; high school math teacher, Hiram Johnson High School, Sacramento, California, 1991-98; teacher, Universidad del Valle, Bolivia, 1998-; public speaker, 1998–.
Awards: Hispanic Heritage Award, 1988; Free Spirit Award, Freedom Forum, 1998; Andres Bello Prize, Organization of American States, 1998; United States Presidential Medal for Excellence, 1998; National Teachers Hall of Fame, 1999.
When he graduated in 1954 he had three jobs lined up. In the mornings he taught at the prestigious San Calixto, in the afternoons he worked at National Bolívar High School, and in the evenings he taught at Commercial High School. It was through a lot of experience that Escalante developed his unique and effective teaching style. In the Bolivian educational system, students were tested by teachers from different schools, eliminating the subjectivity of a teacher testing his or her own students. In this way, 'Escalante and his students became part of the same team, fighting a common foe, rather than adversaries in a war in which the teacher always had the upper hand and the students often contemplated revolt or desertion,' according to Jay Mathews in Escalante: The Best Teacher in America.
While at Normal Superior, Escalante met Fabiola Tapia, and the couple married on November 25, 1954. A year later they had their first son, Jaime Jr. Fabiola's brothers went to college in California and she wanted her young family to join them there. She believed that America offered better economic opportunities and more stability for her family. As a devout Protestant she also did not approve of alcohol, and wanted to get Escalante away from the friends who frequently took him out drinking.
In 1961 Escalante spent a year in Puerto Rico as part of President John F. Kennedy's Alliance for Progress program, which offered training to industrial arts and science teachers from Latin America. As part of this program Escalante was able to tour several schools in the United States and was impressed with their facilities and equipment. This experience convinced him to grant Fabiola's wish to move to the United States.
Immigrated to the United States
In 1963 Escalante moved to Los Angeles. He was 33 years old and spoke no English. With the little money that he had, he bought a 1964 Volkswagen beetle, which would later become his trademark when he began to teach. Escalante worked as a dishwasher for a local restaurant and later became a cook. He learned English mainly through television, and eventually enrolled in some classes at Pasadena City College. In 1964 his wife and son joined him in the United States, and the family lived in a guesthouse owned by Fabiola's brother. Fabiola did not like the fact that her well-educated husband was wasting his talents as a chef and she encouraged him to find better work. His next job was as an electronics technician, but he was still not satisfied with the work.
Escalante finally realized that his true passion was teaching, and he decided to resume his calling. However, he was disappointed to learn that his teaching credentials were not valid in the United States, and he would have to earn another bachelor's degree plus an American teaching certificate if he wanted to teach in California. Escalante continued to work as an electronics technician and went to school part-time. In 1969 his second son, Fernando, was born, so his job and family were his first priorities. In 1973 Escalante earned a bachelor of arts degree from California State University. He also won a National Science Foundation scholarship, which allowed him to go to school full-time and complete his teaching certificate in just one year.
In 1974 Escalante interviewed for teaching jobs with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He accepted a job as a computer teacher at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. The student body at Garfield was 95% Latino and 80% poor. When Escalante arrived, he quickly learned that there were no computers and that he would be teaching math instead. That was not his only disappointment at Garfield. The students were unruly, poorly educated, disrespectful, and sometimes violent, which was not what Escalante was accustomed to. 'They were using their fingers adding stuff at the board,' Escalante told People Weekly in April of 1988. 'They came in without supplies, with nothing. Total chaos.' Escalante believed that his first year at Garfield would be his last.
Escalante returned to Garfield for a second year partly due to his passion for teaching and partly because of his commitment to his family. He knew that his sons had more opportunities in the United States than they had in Bolivia, and he was trying to make the best of his situation. When Escalante returned to Garfield in the fall of 1975, he found that all of the school's administrators had been fired. The school had been performing so poorly that the Western Association of Schools and Colleges threatened to revoke the school's accreditation. Escalante believed that teachers should challenge students rather than teach at the lowest level possible. With a new administration in place, Escalante was able to push for tougher classes. He began teaching algebra, and by 1979 he introduced the first calculus class at Garfield.
Challenged Students to Excel
Escalante had a very unorthodox way of teaching that both frightened and inspired his students. He was not afraid to yell at students for being late or lazy, but he also gave them encouragement and taught them to believe in themselves. He told them that they could succeed at everything if they had the ganas, the desire. He decorated his classroom with inspirational sayings and sports posters. He was imaginative in his techniques to get his points across. He once brought a meat cleaver and an apple to class to teach his students fractions. He would wear funny hats, make jokes about sex, and do whatever he could think of to get his students' attention--and he was successful. He soon gained the students' respect and they nicknamed him Kemo Sabe, the man who knows, which was Tonto's name for the famous Lone Ranger.
Garfield's students began to rise to the challenge set forth by Escalante. When he introduced calculus in 1979 he had five students in the class. All five took the Advanced Placement (AP) exam for calculus and four of them passed. This standardized test gave passing students college credits. It was so difficult that only two percent of American high school students even attempted it. Escalante was inspired by this success and worked even harder to recruit more students. He held special after-school sessions and Saturday classes to prepare students for the AP test. He also tutored those who were struggling during their lunch hour or before classes began. Most importantly, he got the parents involved and convinced them to make their children attend school and do their homework. As he told the Omaha World-Herald in April of 2001, 'We need the help of parents. We alone cannot do anything.'
In 1982 Escalante's AP calculus program grew to 18 students, his largest class yet. To his delight, all 18 students passed the test. However, two months later 14 of the students received letters from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey, stating that their scores were invalid. The ETS believed the students had cheated because they had made similar mistakes on the test. The students were disheartened because they had sacrificed all of their free time to prepare for the test. Escalante was furious. He believed the scores had been challenged because they came from Hispanic students at a poor high school, and that it was difficult for the ETS to believe such students were capable of succeeding. The students were vindicated, however, when 12 of the 14 agreed to retake the test and they all passed a second time.
Became a National Hero
This controversial event became the subject of a 1988 movie called Stand and Deliver, starring Edward James Olmos as Escalante, and a 1988 book by Jay Mathews called Escalante: The Best Teacher in America. This national attention to Escalante's math program led to external funding. In 1990 the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education provided money for computers, audiovisual equipment, tutors, and scholarships. The National Science Foundation funded the Escalante Math and Science Program at East Los Angeles College, which provided after-school and summer classes for Garfield's students. Additionally, Escalante's programs received corporate sponsorship from companies such as Ford, Coca-Cola, Xerox, and IBM. Escalante even developed a series of educational videos called Futures for PBS.
With these additional resources, Escalante continued to have success with his math students. By 1991 570 Garfield students had taken AP tests in 14 different subjects. However, the national attention that Escalante received caused jealousy and tension among his coworkers. Escalante was not shy about criticizing teachers when he felt they were not doing a good job. He also disliked faculty meetings and administrative responsibilities because he preferred to be in the classroom with his students. As he told the Los Angeles Times in June of 1991, 'We are here to help students. That is my philosophy. And that is my weak point. I put too much time into students.' In 1990 Escalante was dismissed by his peers as chair of the math department. By 1991 tensions among the faculty were so high that Escalante decided to leave Garfield.
From 1991 to 1998 Escalante taught at Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento, California. Unlike Garfield, this school was ethnically diverse. Escalante began teaching freshman and sophomore algebra, but eventually instituted an AP calculus course similar to the one at Garfield. Escalante had some success with his program at Johnson, but it was more limited than the success he had enjoyed at Garfield. He was unable to connect with all of the students and parents at Johnson, because not all shared common cultural and linguistic bonds. He also did not have the same administrative support at Johnson that he had at Garfield because of the high turnover of principals and vice principals. As Newsday explained in May of 1997, 'By the time Escalante reached Johnson, he was 60, with a national reputation, a family worried about his health, and a reluctance to revive the faculty battles that had made his last years at Garfield so uncomfortable.'
Joined English for Children Initiative
In 1997 Escalante was asked by his peers to run for the position of state superintendent of public schools, but he declined. That same year he joined the 'English for Children' initiative, which was a campaign against bilingual education in California schools. Escalante believed that children suffered in bilingual programs because they were not being taught English at the early ages when it was easiest to learn the language. As he told the Los Angeles Times in November of 1997, 'It's good to have bilingual teachers who speak two languages. But if you teach the kids in Spanish, you're not preparing them for life.' When the controversial Proposition 227 passed in California dismantling bilingual education, Escalante received a lot of hate mail on the subject.
The controversy surrounding Proposition 227 and his less successful tenure at Johnson led Escalante to retire from teaching in 1998 at the age of 66. He planned to continue his work by evaluating testing procedures for the ETS and giving public lectures. As he told the Los Angeles Times in November of 1998, 'I am still trying to do what I can, raising money for scholarships and motivating teachers and people.' He also moved back to his native country, splitting his time between Bolivia and the United States. He has become a legend in both countries. In Bolivia he taught at the Universidad del Valle and has had several schools named after him. In the United States Escalante continued to spread his message about the power of encouragement and education. 'I am not looking for recognition,' he told the Los Angeles Times in May of 1995. 'I'm trying to prove that potential is anywhere and we can teach any kid if we have the ganas (desire) to do it.'
Sources
Books
Mathews, Jay, Escalante: The Best Teacher inAmerica,Henry Holt and Co., 1988.
Periodicals
American Enterprise, July 1999, p. 10.
Boston Globe, September 1, 1991, p. 2.
Insight on the News, December 22, 1997, p. 18.
Los Angeles Times, June 27, 1990, p. A19; June 19, 1991, p. B3; August 29, 1991, p. 1; October 23, 1992, p. B1; May 23, 1995; September 19, 1997, p. B10; November 13, 1997, p. A3; May 18, 1998, p. R4; November 15, 1998, p. B1; June 14, 1999, p. A1; July 18, 2001, p. 2.
Newsday, May 28, 1997, p. B3; June 11, 1998, p. A23.
Newsweek, March 14, 1988, p. 62; July 20, 1992, p. 58.
Omaha World-Herald, April 28, 2001, p. 15.
People Weekly, April 11, 1988, p. 57.
U.S. News and World Report, February 26, 1996, p. 62.
Washington Monthly, May 1989, p. 58; May 10, 1999.
Washington Post, August 9, 1990, p. B1; April 10, 1994; March 5, 2000, p. W9; January 31, 2002, p. T4.
On-line
Bolivia Web Hall of Fame,www.boliviaweb.com/hallfame/escalante.htm
The Futures Channel, www.thefutureschannel.com/jaime_escalante/be_teach.htm
National Teachers Hall of Fame, www.nthf.org/escalante.htm
Pasadena City College,www.paccd.cc.ca.us/75th/alumni/escalante/escalante.html
The Visionaries: Creators of Worlds, www.govtech.net/magazine/visions/feb98vision/escalante.phtml
--Janet P. Stamatel