When one person has authority over another, there is a line relationship. When there is not formal supervisory authority of one person over the other, they have a staff relationship. The basic building block of the US ed. Principal is in charge of the school. In law the principal is the final authority at the school.
Assistant principals help principals administer the school.
See figure 6.1 on pg. The superintendent is expected to be visible in the community and to provide overall leadership for the district. See figure 6.2 on page 186 Organization of education at the State level See figure 6.4 on page 188. State boards of education are both regulatory and advisory. Some regulatory functions are the establishment of standards for issuing and revoking teaching licenses, the establishment of standards for approving and accrediting schools, and the development and enforcement of a uniform system for gathering and reporting educational data.