The rest of the afternoon is packed with paperwork, staff conferences and a visit from a city workman planning to install speed bumps in the alley. There are no emergencies. These crises kept her from conferring with more teachers about their yearly goals and from putting in some text- book orders. Reflecting on how her job has changed, the veteran principal says she spends more time solving problems for parents that occur outside the school. Ten years ago, parents rarely called.
Parents feel much more comfortable coming into the school, asking or telling, often insisting.
This is what education is about now. It's not a closed institution. Independent coverage of Chicago school reform since 1989.