This paper addresses the theme of "insiders and outsiders in the history of education" in two ways. First, it is an exploration of the journey of one woman from being an educational outsider to her influential position on the inside as a local and national educational policymaker. Ellen Pinsent's life is illustrative of the transition of middle class women from a private to a public sphere, from lady philanthropist to professional policymaker. Second, it examines her influence on policy decisions in the emerging field of special education in the period 1900-1913. (Contains 49 footnotes.)