These are good questions, but unfortunately straight answers are hard to find. It turns out that many if not most people involved in recreational avalanche incidents in North America had previously taken some level of training. Maybe the instructional methodologies were incompatible with their learning style, maybe the course emphasis was off base, or maybe something else was wrong. Whatever the case, their training didn't serve them as well as it could have. Your safety should be important enough to choose and invest in the best course for your needs.
Lets take a look at the issue of curriculums first and then general instructor qualifications.
But first lets make sure we know what we're talking about so we don't compare apples and oranges. These are not recreational, the recreational programs are called RAC Basic and Advanced. They are offered by various providers in the private sector. In the US the terms Level I and Level II are used for recreational courses, typically lasting a weekend or three days. Where the terms have not been clarified it will hopefully be clear from the context which is referred to.