Jaime Escalante started an advanced math program with a small group of students. Advanced Placement is a program of college-level classes and tests. In nineteen eighty-two, eighteen of his students took the Advanced Placement test in calculus. They all passed.

Officials at the testing company suspected the students of cheating. Mr. Escalante protested. He said the students were being rejected because they were Hispanic and from a poor school. He urged his students to take the test again.

Twelve of the students repeated the test. And again, all of them passed. Five earned top scores. Mr. Escalante’s students went on to become engineers, scientists and university professors. The advanced math program at Garfield became extremely successful over the next several years.

Jaime Escalante received many teaching awards including the Presidential Medal of Excellence in Education. A movie about his success, “Stand and Deliver,” was released in nineteen eighty-eight. It influenced other teachers to use his methods.

Jaime Escalante retired from teaching in nineteen ninety-eight and later moved back to Bolivia with his wife. He died earlier this year. He was seventy-nine years old.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report written by Lawan Davis. I'm Steve Ember.