Stand and Deliver Revisited

The untold story behind the famous rise -- and shameful fall -- of Jaime Escalante, America's master math teacher.

Jerry Jesness from the July 2002 issue

Thanks to the popular 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, many Americans know of the success that Jaime Escalante and his students enjoyed at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. During the 1980s, that exceptional teacher at a poor public school built a calculus program rivaled by only a handful of exclusive academies.

It is less well-known that Escalante left Garfield after problems with colleagues and administrators, and that his calculus program withered in his absence. That untold story highlights much that is wrong with public schooling in the United States and offers some valuable insights into the workings -- and failings -- of our education system.

Escalante's students surprised the nation in 1982, when 18 of them passed the Advanced Placement calculus exam. The Educational Testing Service found the scores suspect and asked 14 of the passing students to take the test again. Twelve agreed to do so (the other two decided they didn't need the credit for college), and all 12 did well enough to have their scores reinstated.

In the ensuing years, Escalante's calculus program grew phenomenally. In 1983 both enrollment in his class and the number of students passing the A.P. calculus test more than doubled, with 33 taking the exam and 30 passing it. In 1987, 73 passed the test, and another 12 passed a more advanced version ("BC") usually given after the second year of calculus.

By 1990, Escalante's math enrichment program involved over 400 students in classes ranging from beginning algebra to advanced calculus. Escalante and his fellow teachers referred to their program as "the dynasty," boasting that it would someday involve more than 1,000 students.

That goal was never met. In 1991 Escalante decided to leave Garfield. All his fellow math enrichment teachers soon left as well. By 1996, the dynasty was not even a minor fiefdom. Only seven students passed the regular ("AB") test that year, with four passing the BC exam -- 11 students total, down from a high of 85.

In any field but education, the combination of such a dramatic rise and such a precipitous fall would have invited analysis. If a team begins losing after a coach is replaced, sports fans are outraged. The decline of Garfield's math program, however, went largely unnoticed.

Movie Magic

Most of us, educators included, learned what we know of Escalante's experience from Stand and Deliver. For more than a decade it has been a staple in high school classes, college education classes, and faculty workshops. Unfortunately, too many students and teachers learned the wrong lesson from the movie.

Escalante tells me the film was 90 percent truth and 10 percent drama -- but what a difference 10 percent can make. Stand and Deliver shows a group of poorly prepared, undisciplined young people who were initially struggling with fractions yet managed to move from basic math to calculus in just a year. The reality was far different. It took 10 years to bring Escalante's program to peak success. He didn't even teach his first calculus course until he had been at Garfield for several years. His basic math students from his early years were not the same students who later passed the A.P. calculus test.

Escalante says he was so discouraged by his students' poor preparation that after only two hours in class he called his former employer, the Burroughs Corporation, and asked for his old job back. He decided not to return to the computer factory after he found a dozen basic math students who were willing to take algebra and was able to make arrangements with the principal and counselors to accommodate them.

Escalante's situation improved as time went by, but it was not until his fifth year at Garfield that he tried to teach calculus. Although he felt his students were not adequately prepared, he decided to teach the class anyway in the hope that the existence of an A.P. calculus course would create the leverage necessary to improve lower-level math classes.

His plan worked. He and a handpicked teacher, Ben Jimenez, taught the feeder courses. In 1979 he had only five calculus students, two of whom passed the A.P. test. (Escalante had to do some bureaucratic sleight of hand to be allowed to teach such a tiny class.) The second year, he had nine calculus students, seven of whom passed the test. A year later, 15 students took the class, and all but one passed. The year after that, 1982, was the year of the events depicted in Stand and Deliver.

The Stand and Deliver message, that the touch of a master could bring unmotivated students from arithmetic to calculus in a single year, was preached in schools throughout the nation. While the film did a great service to education by showing what students from disadvantaged backgrounds can achieve in demanding classes, the Hollywood fiction had at least one negative side effect. By showing students moving from fractions to calculus in a single year, it gave the false impression that students can neglect their studies for several years and then be redeemed by a few months of hard work.

This Hollywood message had a pernicious effect on teacher training. The lessons of Escalante's patience and hard work in building his program, especially his attention to the classes that fed into calculus, were largely ignored in the faculty workshops and college education classes that routinely showed Stand and Deliver to their students. To the pedagogues, how Escalante succeeded mattered less than the mere fact that he succeeded. They were happy to cheer Escalante the icon; they were less interested in learning from Escalante the teacher. They were like physicians getting excited about a colleague who can cure cancer without wanting to know how to replicate the cure.

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Pingback| 10.17.09 @ 8:02PM

Math Education « Where the Arts Meet the Sciences links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…education by doing an internet search on “Jaime Escalante” back in 1997 (I think I used Infoseek as Google didn’t exist yet!). What I found was the story of Escalante’s ostracism from the Garfield High School math department he made famous in “Stand and Deliver.” The story was posted at a website called “ Mathematically Correct.” I spent a lot of time reading the…

Josh|12.8.09 @ 1:24PM|#

Great article! With the budget cuts and everything, our education is getting worse and worse, but the teachers continue to do their best, and that is what makes all the difference.

|12.10.09 @ 2:07PM|#

Excellent article. It ties in with a book I've just read, "There Are No Shortcuts", by Rafe Esquith. Esquith is another inspired teacher in the LA area whose students consistently achieve. Like Escalante, Esquith opens the doors to his classroom early in the morning and closes late in the afternoon. That teachers have to jump through all sorts of hoops to offer extras to their students is nothing short of criminal.

Our current educational system is doing a good job of discouraging and punishing teachers who think, and operate, outside the box. Administrators and bureaucrats who stand in the way of these inspired teachers should be dismissed. Administrators should be eager to support teachers who refuse to participate in the dumbing down of the system; instead, mediocrity is rewarded. Enough!

|3.2.10 @ 5:50PM|#

I appreciate so much background on Escalante. It would be interesting to find any information on what became of these students, especially those portrayed in the film. Did they find success in life due to Escalante's teaching methods? Anyone have follow up information on any of the students?

Pingback| 3.10.10 @ 8:12PM

Investing in the future | Ms. Kelley's Blog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…get into a school and they must maintain a 2.0 at that school – but overall this has produced some amazing results. Now whenever I hear about miraculous results, I start to look for the Hollywood fudge factor – but I think in this case its some good old fashioned family values that are affecting the change in the system and the society at large. Nancy Flanagan at Teacher in Strange Land blog…

Angie|3.20.10 @ 2:11PM|#

Shameful fall? I didn't see any shameful fall. That's an overstatement. Too bad the program couldn't have been permanently successful, but Escalante worked hard and succeeded for a time at the school.

The Opinionator|3.30.10 @ 10:00PM|#

Angie,

It is indeed shameful that a man who successfully taught and changed the lives of students was run out of the school and now it is a shadow of it's former self. That is definitely a shameful, and preventable, fall. And it is the students that will pay the price is lost opportunities. The Union however, is still thriving even though they are not producing.

Pingback| 3.28.10 @ 6:42PM

Changing Math Results » Eastern Desert links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…test results must be kept into context. The two articles provide evidence that my fears about testing are true. Is there evidence that testing is helping schools? It was surprising when I was reminded of Jaime Escalante, the famous math teacher of Stand and Deliver. His success in teaching math (as measured by standardized testing) came from strong educational practices: pipelining – students’…

Pingback| 3.30.10 @ 8:23PM

Michelle Malkin » Jaime Escalante, R.I.P. links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…deeper-seated destructive tendencies. Just as minority students who excel in the inner cities are subjected to “Crab in the Bucket” syndrome, Escalante’s opponents did their best to bring him down and he endured retribution for his achievements, as Reason Magazine reported several years ago: Death of a Dynasty Escalante’s open admission policy, a major reason for his success, also paved…

Pingback| 3.30.10 @ 10:00PM

jaime escalante links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…the 1980s and 1990s. [7] Sources: [1] Jaime Escalante: Biography from Answers.com [2] Bolivia Web: Jaime Escalante [3] Jaime Escalante - Wikipedia [4] Jaime Escalante Math Program [5] Stand and Deliver Revisited - Reason Magazine [6] Jaime Escalante - The Futures Channel [7] Hispanic Heritage - Jaime Escalante Biography [8] Biography of Jaime Escalante - Boston College [9] Jaime Escalante - Pasadena City College…

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 12:01AM

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 2:39AM

Jaime Escalante dies « Joanne Jacobs links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…or private, in the country. People started to think that low-income, minority kids could learn calculus, if properly taught. Often in conflict with other teachers and administrators, Escalante left Garfield High in 1991 to teach at a Sacramento High School, Reason reports. He’d created a math enrichment program to get students from basic algebra to calculus. The other math enrichment teachers left too.…

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 8:00AM

Jaime Escalante Dead at 79 links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…W. Bush, and in 2003 signed on as an education consultant for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial campaign in California. Much, much more in Woo’s feature and a July 2002 Reason peace by Jerry Jesness titled, “Stand and Deliver Revisited: The untold story behind the famous rise — and shameful fall — of Jaime Escalante, America’s master math teacher.” And, no, the shame…

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 1:43PM

Would Arne Duncan Have Eaten The Marshmallow? | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day. links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…death of Jaime Escalante also brings to mind the numerous miracle teachers who are portrayed in the movies as quickly changing things around in their schools. However, you can read a more accurate story about the length of time it took Mr. Escalante to make those changes happen (thanks to Alice Mercer for the tip). Yes, sometimes a situation calls for immediate change. More often than not, however, I’m…

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 2:01PM

Stand and Deliver Teacher Jaime Escalante Dies | JetLib News links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Garfield. Since his departure, Garfield has never replicated Escalante’s success with math students, and Reason Magazine reported on the shameful way in which others tore down what Escalante and his teachers worked so hard to build.” Source: Stand and Deliver Teacher Jaime Escalante Dies Related posts: Student’s Facebook Tirade Against Teacher Is Protected Speech Improving Education Through…

|3.31.10 @ 3:03PM|#

"... might now be retiring from Unisys ". Anyone who has worked for or with Unisys will definitely find the comedy behind that statement. Never have I seen so many lost souls in one organization.

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 3:31PM

‘Stand and Deliver’ teacher dies of cancer « CarneyWeb.com links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…he was wrong and that it is about 90% accurate, and about 100% accurate in all the details that matter. Another amazing, but probably not too surprising, thing is that the teacher’s union opposed what he was doing because he was taking on too many students in his classroom! The union had negotiated that the classroom max was to be 35 students. He took on more than 50. Was the union concerned that the…

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 4:04PM

links for 2010-03-31 « AB's reflections links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…"unique_id" : "wp-post-390", "title" : "links+for+2010-03-31", "item_id" : "_post_390", "permalink" : "http%3A%2F%2Fabaditya.com%2F2010%2F04%2F01%2Flinks-for-2010-03-31%2F" } Stand and Deliver Revisited – Reason Magazine 'Thanks to the popular 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, many Americans know of the success that Jaime Escalante and his students enjoyed at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles.…

Zinger.Org » Blog Archive » Stand and Deliver Revisited – Reason Magazine links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…much that is wrong with public schooling in the United States and offers some valuable insights into the workings — and failings — of our education system. via Stand and Deliver Revisited – Reason Magazine. [Comments (0)] [ link] [ TB] The URI to TrackBack this entry is: http://zinger.org/2010/03/31/stand-and-deliver-revisited-reason-magazine/trackback/ Leave a Reply…

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 6:21PM

The Biz Insider News Expertise » Blog Archive » Jaime Escalante, R.I.P. links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 6:22PM

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 8:11PM

Possível Motivo Por Falha No Sistema Educacional « eardreams links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…dos alunos sobre o professor. Porque muitas vezes o diretor apenas exerce a função de contratar e administrar o dinheiro; e esquece o principal, que é o ensino. Para quem sabe inglês recomendo essa interessante reportagem, que fala sobre um professor que conseguiu melhor as notas do seus alunos drásticamente, mas devido a questões burocráticas ficou com as mão presas e sem poder continuar o projeto. Política…

Pingback| 3.31.10 @ 11:27PM

Aaron Rogier » Model Educator Passes links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Model Educator Passes Jaime Escalante, the mathematics educator who was the inspiration for the film Stand and Deliver as well as the book Escalante: The Best Teacher in America passed recently. Reason Magazine has an insightful article on the work he did improving the educational opportunities offered to students who would have otherwise been neglected by an often uncaring and inefficient system as well as…

Pingback| 4.1.10 @ 12:45AM

Stand and Deliver Revisited (Jaime Escalante) links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…like physiciansgetting excited about a colleague who can cure cancer withoutwanting to know how to replicate the cure. Stand and Deliver Revisited (Jaime Escalante) This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 10:45 pm and is filed under Jaime Escalante. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.…

Pingback| 4.1.10 @ 4:53AM

Stand and Deliver Teacher Jaime Escalante « Kintu – La vista links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Links: 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Escalante 2. http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/31/1848334/jaime-escalante-stand-and-d eliver.html 3. http://garfieldhs.org/ 4. http://reason.com/archives/2002/07/01/stand-and-deliver-revisited/ This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 09:20 and is filed under Interesting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave…

Pingback| 4.3.10 @ 3:28PM

Nice piece…Jaime Escalante, the Calculus Teacher Who Changed American Education « Lif links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…“Teaching is an art form,” she told CBS. “There’s a lot of practitioners and very few artists. He was a master artist.” Learn more about Jaime Ascalante: Watch Stand and Deliver Read about Ascalante’s methods in Reason Magazine Filed under: Features, Heroes, History, via gimundo.com Posted via web from Life of a gaander… This entry was posted on April 3, 2010 at 7:28 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.…

David B. Cohen|4.6.10 @ 1:32AM|#

The 2010 CA Teacher of the Year offers her thoughts on Escalante and his legacy:

http://accomplishedcaliforniat.....kes-ganas/

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Although I have not read the other comments, anyone who has watched the movie and paid attention saw the passage of three school years, not one as Jerry has suggested. That was a little closer to the true story than having us try to believe that this could happen in one school year.

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