6th Grade Culture Project

Jaime Escalante:  Educator (b. 1930) Jaime Escalante Gutierrez was born in La Paz, Bolivia.  He taught high school and coached competitive science teams for nine years.  When a teaching program did not work, he tried another way.  Jaime wanted his students to interact.  Then the Escalantes emigrated to America.  Jaime had to earn another college degree to teach math and physics.  Jaime taught poor Los Angeles neighborhood.  Drugs, dropouts, crime, and gangs made his job difficult.  He taught students to make their own success.  He tutored students before and after school, during lunch and on Saturdays.  He started a summer work study program, led field trips to businesses where math is used, and created award-winning PBS television programs about math and science careers.  Jaime taught calculus to students could take  the advanced placement test.  Even though less that 2 percent of U.S. students try this test, 18 of Jaime’s students passed! Suspicious testing officials made the students take a harder test, which they also passed.  The movie Stand and Deliver shared their story. 

Marsh, Carole, The Best Book of Hispanic Biographies.,Galopade Interational:  2003 p.8.

Helpful sites:

http://www.govtech.net/magazine/visions/feb98vision/escalante.php

http://www.bc.edu/offices/ahana/about/history/escalante/

http://reason.com/0207/fe.jj.stand.shtml

http://www.paccd.cc.ca.us/75th/alumni/escalante/escalante1.html