The roles and responsibilities of state, local, and the federal government are described in this paper on the organization of American education. Explanations are provided of how education in America is primarily a state and local responsibility and representative models of this system of organization are described. In terms of the federal government's role in education, provisions of the first and fourteenth amendments to the Constitution are outlined and examples of education-related legislation are reported. In addition to legal and financial actions, the federal government's involvement in raising issues and setting directions for education is reviewed, and the National Commission on Excellence in Education's report, "A Nation At Risk" is offered as the most recent and dramatic example. Schematic illustrations are provided of: (1) the typical structure of a state school system; (2) a state department of public instruction; and (3) a typical line and staff organization plan. (ML)