A force for parent empowerment, equity in Salem education retires

When Olga Cobb became a principal at Salem’s Highland Elementary School, she wanted to get parents more involved in reading.

It was 2006, and Cobb — the school’s first Latina principal — planned to bring Spanish-speaking parents to the school in the evenings to learn how they could support their kids’ education and reading at home. 

Cobb realized that to get more families involved, she would need to provide transportation for parents who couldn’t drive,…