There's this phrase - "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" - that I see used quite often when speaking of public education initiatives especially in defense of charter schools. And then, districts, states, the feds plunge on into initiatives, apparently hoping it will all turn out well (see Race to the Top, remember that one?). This issue, restorative justice, is a very good example. "We've got to do something" - because student discipline is so skewed towards two groups of students - Special Education students and Black students is the cry from many in leadership. But the work, the actual work, falls to those in the trenches.
