Some sort of effective standardisation body has been overdue for a long long time IMHO. Standarsiation of sorts rest with the Panel Examiners, but they have very limited resources or ability to ensure standards other than at the training of instructors. After that, instructors are on their own and free to teach whatever they want.
The only civilian school I insructed at had very high standards with a CFI who made sure his instructors were teaching the same thing, stuck to the syllabus and made sure their instructing was of a high standard. However, I was frequently aghast at some of the thing that student from other schools had been taught. Stuff that had never been a part of any syllabus ever and/or were downright dangerous.
Standardisation should not be at the club level. Some standardisation has been introduced with Instructor seminars, but these are too infrequent to be effective. And it doesn't help that anyone can write a book on 'how to fly' with no regulation whatsoever - there have been some right old b0llocks written in the past.
We need an organisation to oversee instruction standards and a form of unified books and manuals. It needn't be large and I don't think it should cost much - and the benefits will be shorter times to complete training and a safer product.
Stell helmet donned, heading for the trench!
PS, the CFI I refered to may or may not be a very prominent ppruner!!