Education systems’ intermediary-level offices significantly shape school leaders’ operational environment. Positioned between national policy-making and individual schools, these middle-tier governments mediate policy mandates with school resources, capabilities, and organizational culture. School leaders and district or municipality-level managers are responsible for negotiating this balance dynamically, aligning external policy demands with local educational goals and operational strategies. Latin American countries exhibit diverse institutional structures for these middle-tier governments, reflecting varying degrees of decentralization and market-based reforms in recent decades. This chapter explores the types and responsibilities of middle-tier governments in Latin American educational systems. Subsequently, it investigates specific roles and practices through which local governments can support school leaders alongside the challenges encountered in these efforts. Then, it analyzes the potential influence of middle-tier government practices on student achievement through examples of good practices. The literature describes the education systems for most countries, with information about the middle tier for some countries only. Their structure and organization vary, while their responsibilities and challenges include implementing national policies locally and lacking human resources. Good practices from middle-tier governments in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico that improved student achievement include instructional leadership support to schools and coherent curriculum and assessment policies.