The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of information flows in the Russian education system. Redundancy, intensity and formalization of those flows constitute the most painful side of work in education associated with paper pressing and paper genocide, along with unfairly low wages. The analysis bases on extensive sampling surveys and time measurement of the workloads of major job groups in public education, the study of document flow in educational institutions of different type and level, expert opinions from three regions of the country. The amount and structure of information flows, social realities of paper work and its impact on the social and professional well-being of educators are discussed. Authors believe that a management strategy that ignores the social mission of education and its multifaceted social effectiveness is the reason of paper pressing. This strategy expresses bureaucrats’ mistrust towards educators and rejects possibilities of public-state governance thus creating an institutional deadlock for the Russian education system.