Parent facilitator Valerie Broussard reads a book about ice cream to second-graders at Kipapa Elementary School in Mililani before she demonstrates the technique. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"There's no breathing time," said Naguwa, the school's principal for three years. "Our teachers are willing to try different things. It's just a matter of giving them enough time."

And that's something Kipapa Elementary doesn't have.

While its students met the state's reading and math goals last year, the school did not make adequate yearly progress because a subgroup of low-income students fell just under the benchmark in reading.

In addition, the school just started a new math program called Investigations, with the intent of raising the student proficiency level in math in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal law that requires schools to make annual progress toward student proficiency in core subjects by 2014.

And because NCLB also includes science and social studies, Kipapa Elementary must, for the first time, find appropriate schoolwide programs in those areas.

"Our biggest challenge is raising test scores like everybody else," Naguwa said. "We're on a long, long journey."

But the faculty and staff aren't worried — they're busy.

The teachers at Kipapa Elementary have been working with consultant Dr. Kathy Au for several years to develop standards-based programs that are aligned with the school's goals to reach or exceed state benchmarks in core areas.

By next year 28 percent of the students must be proficient in math, 44 percent proficient in reading. And the percentages increase every year, putting the pressure on teachers and students alike.

"That's going to be a challenge," Naguwa said. "We have to raise our standards, too."

This month the administration is working on implementing new report cards. They're intended to provide parents user-friendly feedback, while reflecting the standards-based education the state Department of Education adopted to comply with NCLB.

That, alone, is a time-consuming endeavor.

Naguwa wishes his teachers had more time to work together on new standards-based programs, to discuss student achievement and results, and to share creative ways to improve classroom and test performance.

The collaborative effort on the part of the teachers, Naguwa said, will help with overall consistency in the progress of the students.

"We're not teaching out of textbooks anymore," he said.

As it is now, the 39 full-time teachers at Kipapa Elementary are overloaded, he said. Most of them stay well past 3 p.m., taking work home with them.

And it's even harder for the five kindergarten teachers who, in addition to working toward annual progress in their students, have to deal with kids with varying levels of preschool experience, if any.

"An area of concern is that a lot of (kindergartners) are coming in with little or no preschool experience," he said. "That's impacting."

He said some kids will come with three years of preschool experience, knowing the alphabet, shapes and colors, along with valuable social skills. Others come without any preschool experience, trying to keep up both academically and socially.

Kipapa Elementary does have a Head Start program on its campus. It was also scheduled to be a Pre-Plus site in the next few years. But the average attendance in Head Start hasn't convinced Naguwa that Pre-Plus will work there, either. The plan is currently on hold.

"For me, early education is a must, it's critical," said Naguwa, whose twin sons attend preschool. "And if not in preschool, then at least at home, parents should provide (their children) with rich experiences. But the parents who don't put their children in preschool don't have the tools themselves to help their children. And that's the catch-22."

The parents at Kipapa Elementary are anything but uninvolved.

One of the most popular activities at the school is the annual brown-bag lunches at the beginning of the first semester. Parents are invited to have lunch with their children in the library, as teachers and administrators tell them what to expect for the coming year.

"It's a packed house," Naguwa said. "Parental involvement is critical, it's very important. ... And we're very fortunate to have such good parental participation."

• What are you most proud of? Naguwa is most proud of the way students and teachers have adopted the new standards-based programs and met every challenge.

• Best-kept secret: The school's highly trained and dedicated teachers. "They put in so much (of their own) time," Naguwa said. "That's where, as a principal, I'm lucky. They may not be happy with the demands, but they're professional about it and they get it done. And they do it well."

• Everybody at our school knows: Valerie Broussard, who has been affiliated with the school for about 20 years, first as a parent, then as coordinator for the school's Parent-Community Networking Center. She helps with projects in the classrooms and workshops for parents. "She's everywhere," Naguwa said.

• Our biggest challenge: Meeting the proficiency benchmarks set by No Child Left Behind.

• What we need: Besides money, Naguwa said he could use more time, especially for his staff to be able to produce quality, effective standards-based programs.

• Projects: Kipapa Elementary just finished a six-month-long renovation that approached $1 million. All its classrooms were gutted and redone, with new flooring, window louvers, light fixtures, cabinets and dry-erase boards. "It was grueling," Naguwa said. "But we're very, very happy with the outcome." He added that the best part was walking the students into the brand-new classrooms and seeing their eyes light up.

• Special events: In three years, the school will celebrate its 75th anniversary.

Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.