Honoring the life and accomplishments of Jaime A. Escalante.

[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1265 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1265

      Honoring the life and accomplishments of Jaime A. Escalante.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 15, 2010

    Mrs. Napolitano (for herself, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Baca, Mr. 
 Gutierrez, Mr. Ortiz, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Mr. Rangel, 
 Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. Pierluisi, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Sablan, Mr. 
Gonzalez, Mr. Honda, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Sires, 
Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Costa, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Pastor of Arizona, 
  Ms. Chu, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Salazar, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. 
   Hirono, Mr. Edwards of Texas, Mr. Costello, Mr. George Miller of 
California, Ms. Watson, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, and Mr. Clyburn) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Honoring the life and accomplishments of Jaime A. Escalante.

Whereas Jaime A. Escalante was a dedicated husband, father, teacher, and mentor;
Whereas Jaime A. Escalante, an immigrant, devoted his life to teaching and used 
        determination, rigorous standards, and a passion for educating to 
        empower disadvantaged students to learn and succeed;
Whereas Jaime A. Escalante was born on December 31, 1930, in La Paz, Bolivia and 
        received his teaching degree from Normal Superior in Bolivia;
Whereas Jaime A. Escalante immigrated to California in 1963 at the age of 33, 
        leaving his teaching post in Bolivia for the promise of a brighter 
        future for his wife, Fabiola, his child, Jaime A. Jr., and future child, 
        Fernando;
Whereas Jaime A. Escalante spent 10 years working his way up from a dishwasher 
        to an electronics technician while learning English, repeating his 
        undergraduate education earning a B.A. in math from Cal State Los 
        Angeles, and securing his teaching certificate in 1974;
Whereas Jaime A. Escalante was hired to teach mathematics at Garfield High 
        School in 1974, which during the 1970s was struggling to maintain its 
        accreditation and whose students were largely working-class minorities 
        from underserved areas;
Whereas Jaime A. Escalante used innovative techniques and high expectations to 
        successfully teach calculus to hard-to-motivate students and 
        revolutionized the use of the Advanced Placement Program to drive 
        success in underperforming schools, proving that encouragement for 
        learning could trump educational disadvantages;
Whereas Jaime A. Escalante firmly believed that his students, although 
        disadvantaged and often behind their grade levels, could achieve 
        academic success if held to high standards and had the support, 
        attention, and encouragement to attain those standards;
Whereas the 1988 film ``Stand and Deliver'' about Jaime A. Escalante's story and 
        successes in education inspired teachers across the country and the 
        world to adopt his methods;
Whereas in 1988, Jaime A. Escalante's success as an educator was detailed in the 
        book entitled ``Escalante: The Best Teacher in America'' by Jay Mathews; 
        and
Whereas Jaime A. Escalante's teaching awards include the Presidential Medal of 
        Excellence in Education, the Andres Bello Prize from the Organization of 
        American States, and the Free Spirit Award from the Freedom Forum, as 
        well as being inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 1999: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the life and accomplishments of Jaime A. 
        Escalante;
            (2) expresses condolences on Jaime A. Escalante's passing; 
        and
            (3) recognizes Jaime A. Escalante's contribution to the 
        field of education, his innovative undertakings in successfully 
        teaching urban youth with educational disadvantages, as well as 
        his dedication to the students of Garfield High School, the 
        great State of California, the United States, and the country 
        of Bolivia.
                                 <all>