The challenges facing students at Kalihi Waena Elementary School in Kalihi are significant: nearly 75% of students come from low-income households, more than a third are English language learners, and 41% of students were performing below grade level last year.
Yet inside the century-old campus, Principal Daniel Larkin says students are resilient, eager to learn, and capable of remarkable growth. He smiles as he recalls a former English language learner who, despite coming from a family with limited schooling and a different country, went on to graduate from Stanford.
Helping students at Kalihi Waena build self-esteem and literacy skills is the goal of a pilot program being pushed this year by state Sen. Donna Kim, chair of the Senate Education Committee…