Jaime Escalante

AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac

Acclaimed Teacher Jaime Escalante, Inspiration for "Stand & Deliver" Dead at 79

By Mariela Rosario | 03/31/2010 - 13:00 | 2 Comments

Acclaimed teacher Jaime Escalante passed away yesterday at the age of 79, succumbing to bladder cancer after years of fighting the disease. The educational superstar was determined to see his students succeed and thought of ingenious ways to teach math to his wayward charges, many of whom had already been written off by the system.

In 1982, Escalante...

AP Photo

Jaime Escalante of "Stand and Deliver" Fame Fighting Cancer

By Mariela Rosario | 03/05/2010 - 12:28 | 4 Comments

Legendary mathematics teacher, Jaime Escalante—immortalized by Edward James Olmos in the moving film Stand and Deliver—has been diagnosed with cancer and his family is struggling to keep up with the payments necessary to continue his treatments.

Olmos posted the news about Escalante's battle with the disease on his website,...