FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 14, 2001 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 EDUCATOR JAIME ESCALANTE, SUBJECT OF THE 'STAND AND DELIVER' MOVIE, WILL SPEAK AT DRAKE SEPT. 21 Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher whose story was chronicled in the critically acclaimed 1988 movie "Stand and Deliver," will speak at Drake University on Friday, Sept. 21. Escalante's students -- underprivileged and Hispanic -- have set standards in mathematics all but unequaled in American education. Escalante will give his speech, also titled "Stand and Deliver," at 2 p.m. in Parents Hall North in Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue. The movie "Stand and Deliver," starring James Edward Olmos, will be shown at 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, in Bulldog Theater in Olmsted Center. Both the movie and speech are free and open to the public. An immigrant from Bolivia, Escalante is the subject of the book "Escalante: The Best Teacher in America." In 1999 he was officially inducted into the Teachers Hall of Fame. "I'm just a math teacher," Escalante says. "I'm just helping my students achieve their highest degree of personal development. But his persistent, challenging and inspiring teaching methods have made his school - plagued by poor funding, violence and poor working conditions - the seventh-ranked school in this country in calculus. "I do not believe in the gifted," Escalante says. "If they have ganas (Spanish for desire) I can make them do it." He motivates his students at Garfield High School in Sacramento, Calif., to perform through a combination of factors such as strict study requirements and discussions about career possibilities. Escalante taught math and physics in Bolivia for 11 years until 1964, when he immigrated to the United States. After receiving an AA degree in electronics, he worked for Burroughs Corp. for many years. He took a cut in pay to become a math teacher at Garfield in 1974. The Donald V. Adams Leadership Institute at Drake sponsors Escalante's speech. The institute honors Donald V. Adams, who has worked for more than 30 years at Drake, where he is now executive assistant to the president for community and alumni affairs. The institute creates opportunities for high school and college students to develop leadership skills. For more information about the institute and its "Stand and Deliver" programs, call (515) 271-2835.