1. Federal: The national government's role, primarily focused on setting broad goals, providing funding (often with attached conditions), and establishing minimum standards (though often indirectly through incentives).
2. State: State governments have primary responsibility for education within their borders. They establish curriculum standards, set graduation requirements, oversee teacher licensing and certification, and fund a significant portion of public education.
3. Local: Local school districts (or other local governing bodies) manage the day-to-day operations of schools, including hiring teachers, managing budgets, and implementing state-level policies at the school level. This level often has considerable autonomy within the framework set by state and federal guidelines.