In Providence, a Superintendent Follows Her Dream

By Bess Keller

Photos by Benjamin Tice Smith

Women Superintendents:

Few and Far Between

Women Superintendents Credit Support From Colleagues

In Washington State, A Welcoming Hand for Women Chiefs

Diana Lam is not your usual superintendent. For starters, she is a woman, which puts her in a minority—roughly 12 percent of schools chiefs nationwide.

Her parents hailed from Peru, so she belongs to the 5 percent of superintendents who are members of minority groups. She has never been the principal of a high school— the single most common preparation for the top job—nor does she possess a doctorate,...