RE: Question 1: Who's in charge?

When the state level administration insists that all high school students pass geometry (which is not possible), the local districts meet this demand by inventing two geometry classes, geometry A and geometry B.  If you take geometry A, you cannot sign up for any higher level math classes.  If you take geometry B, then you may go on to higher math classes.  If you are honest, you know what this means (geometry A heavily involves yarn and crayons).  How about turning the direction of control upside-down.  The teacher decides what he/she needs and tells the principal who then demands this of the superintendant who in turns makes demands on the state.  The present system is telling downward does not work.  Let's try telling upward.