One of the reasons it is so difficult to reform public schools is because when a new superintendent comes in (or a new school board for that matter) he brings his own curriculum choices and methods and expects everyone to follow them. So, if a school is doing fairly well and test scores are fairly good, you run the risk of a board appointing a superintendent who thinks he’ll “make it better.” These superintendents stay for a couple of years, not even completing their contracts, and then take off to greener pastures, many times leaving a disaster in their wake and a chaotic future for the next district that gets them. Too many fads and damaging ones at that.
I’ve seen it happen and it ain’t pretty.
So many government school pathologies and so little time to describe them ;-)