Some saddening news out of Reno, Nevada where Jaime Escalante, a former Calculus teacher at Garfield High School in Los Angeles, has died. Escalante was 79. He was battling bladder cancer. Escalante’s story was featured in the film “Stand and Deliver,” where he managed to teach a class consisting of 14 students Calculus. All the students went on to earn a passing grade on the AP Calculus Exam administered by the College Board. Although Jaime faced criticism, including allegations that he had aided his students in cheating on the test, he managed to revamp the AP program at Garfield into one of the best in the nation. At it’s peak, the program trailed those of just four other schools.

When Escalante started teaching Calculus at the campus in 1982, only a small fraction of high school students nationwide were enrolled in AP Calculus and an even smaller percent attempted to take the exam. Student enrollment in such courses and subsequent completion of corresponding AP exams has skyrocketed since then, with the lure of college credits at fractions of the cost offered at a college campus being the main motivator.

We, as are many others, are said to see such a memorable and inspirational teacher part ways. Considering the direction our current education system is taking, we could surely use more people like Jaime Escalante, especially considering that most students continue to struggle in essential subject areas like science and math.