States create standards and legal requirements; local education agencies and school boards develop or adopt curriculum and materials within that framework; superintendents and educators implement them. Federal law and funding still impose specific requirements, but the U.S. Department of Education does not set a national curriculum.
There is no single national curriculum authority. State law and standards interact with local district governance and classroom implementation.
Each institution has a different verb. Writing a rule, funding it, applying it, administering a service, and reviewing a dispute are not the same power.
Set state education law, standards, graduation requirements, accountability rules, and the authority delegated to local districts.
Collectively adopts district policy, goals, budgets, and curriculum or materials where state law assigns those decisions.
Implement board policy, manage the district, and operate instructional programs within state and local rules.
Enforces federal civil-rights and program requirements and administers authorized funding.
Board powers, curriculum approval, textbook adoption, charter oversight, and appeal routes vary by state and district. A district can also be subject to court orders, collective-bargaining agreements, and federal program conditions.
