Jaime Escalante

Jaime Escalante was a Bolivian-American mathematics teacher who became known for preparing students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles for Advanced Placement calculus.

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Ben Jimenez: Ben Jimenez was a mathematics teacher at Garfield High School who worked with Jaime Escalante. Jimenez joined Escalante in building Garfield’s mathematics program.
Advanced Placement Calculus: Advanced Placement Calculus is a College Board program offering high-school courses and exams in college-level calculus. Preparing students for its exam was the central goal of Escalante’s program.
Educational equity: Educational equity concerns whether students have fair access to resources, opportunities, and outcomes in education. Escalante’s classes raised questions about access to advanced courses in underserved schools.
1982 AP Calculus exam controversy: The 1982 AP Calculus exam controversy arose after some Garfield students’ scores were invalidated over suspected answer-sharing. The dispute placed Escalante’s students’ achievement and the exam process under scrutiny.
Edward James Olmos: Edward James Olmos is an American actor who portrayed Jaime Escalante in the film Stand and Deliver. Olmos’s portrayal brought Escalante’s classroom story to a broad audience.
AP Calculus AB: AP Calculus AB is an introductory college-level calculus course and examination covering differential and integral calculus. Garfield students prepared for this exam under Escalante’s instruction.
Advanced Placement: Advanced Placement is a College Board program offering high-school courses and exams in college-level subjects. Garfield’s results drew attention to who could participate and succeed in AP courses.
Educational Testing Service: Educational Testing Service is a nonprofit organization that develops and administers educational assessments. ETS reviewed the disputed 1982 AP Calculus scores.
John G. Tirman: John G. Tirman was the principal of Garfield High School during the rise of its Advanced Placement mathematics program. Tirman backed the program as Escalante expanded calculus instruction.
Mathematics education: Mathematics education is the teaching and learning of mathematical ideas, skills, and practices. Escalante’s work was a distinctive approach within mathematics education.