Jaime Escalante works as a math teacher in East Los Angeles in 1982. His students are gang members who have lost interest in school and seem unreachable.  The new teacher at Garfield High School is not deterred from making these students successful. He is threatened and hated, but this rebellion fuels Escalante’s unconventional teaching methods. Escalante works to prepare them for the Advanced Placement exam in calculus. His students did well on the test, which led many to believe they cheated. Escalante viewed this as racist and fought for his students to have their test scores reinstated and instilled a sense achievement beyond the classroom.  

~ Corine Gatti