What are school districts typically responsible for?

School districts are typically responsible for establishing the curriculum and policies that govern educational practices within their specific areas. This foundational role allows districts to tailor educational strategies and content to meet the needs of their local student populations and to ensure that the curriculum aligns with both state and federal education standards.

By determining the curriculum, school districts can select the materials, instructional strategies, and assessment methods that teachers use in classrooms. This also encompasses setting local educational policies regarding student discipline, teacher evaluations, and other key components of the educational environment. Such authority enables districts to effectively manage and improve the quality of education provided in their schools, fostering an adaptable and responsive approach to the changing educational landscape.

While the other options involve important aspects of the educational system, they do not fall directly under the typical responsibilities of school districts. For example, setting global education standards is generally the purview of national or international bodies rather than local school districts. Similarly, direct management of state funding is handled at the state level, and while reviewing teachers' backgrounds may occur, it is typically part of a larger framework of hiring practices and regulations established by educational authorities and not solely the responsibility of school districts.