Getting the right standards, the right way to test for student achievement against those standards, the right way of teaching each kid to meet those standards, and the right training for teachers to reach those kids, is very, very, very hard.  Getting a system of financial management that balances the need for efficient reimbursement of expenses with the reasonable protections required to assure that the taxpayer isn't ripped off is not.

Well, then there is California, Harrison Sheppard of the Los Angeles Daily News Sacremento bureau, reports that of $65 million in expenses LA Unified School District recovered from the state for all manner of programs, the district was required to return all but $1 million.  It's not entirely clear whether the fault lies with LA's systems, the state's, or reporting rules that weigh far too heavily in favor of assuring correct accounting at the mico-level (as opposed to protecting against waste, fraud and abuse.)  LA is not the only district complaining about the state system.

So, on net, LAUSD spent $64 million more out of the general fund last year than it planned. The district has some 730,000 students.  Give each school the $90 per pupil represented by that loss, and a principal with an enrollment of 2000 students has 180,000 bucks.  That's not far from the first year cost of a well-researched school improvement program like Success for All.

Moreover, your editor is prepared to believe that more than one small school improvement provider found themselves on the wrong end of LAUSD's need to lag some payables in order to get through this unexpected cash hit.

Getting this problem fixed is in the interest of taxpayers, principals, teachers, parents, students, and the industry.  Industry trade groups might give some thought to how they might help to see it gets fixed.