This article examines the concept of the "street-level bureaucrat", as was defined by Michael Lipsky, in the context of modern public education in urban American spaces. Using meta-analysis, this article looks at modern public administration theory and the changes in policy approach to American public education reform to determine the viability of Lipsky's definition in the modern context. This article cites the notable changes in the roles and expectations of educators in high-need urban communities, and the growing reliance on third-party governance as a response to the increasingly complex process of educating low-income school children, to question whether the classic definitions of "street-level bureaucracy" should be extended to include agents of contracted non-governmental organisations who are working to fill the gaps in public service needs.