The first purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the educational policy-making role of the United States Office of Education, 1963-1969. A historical overview of significant events before 1960 was provided to aid in understanding that federal concern for and financial aid to education is not a recent concept. The second purpose of this study was to examine the policy-making roles of the Commissioner of Education during the Lyndon B. Johnson presidency.

This paper determines relationships between three elements of the American policy process: legislature, agency, and administrative clientele. It concerns interrelationships between these elements and their affect to agency functions. A model is constructed; revealing the policy process, illustrating behavior patterns responsible for normal functioning and failure of policies and programs. The model develops through study of a single policy area. Supplemental data are provided from a survey. The paper concludes that the process is based on legislation-- causing activity in an agency or substantial change in programs; agency actions, seated in its own organizational objectives, and resultant to internal conflicts; and by clientele behavior, determined by agency actions or inactions. This model may help predicting policy outcomes, but only after similar but more comprehensive studies.