For Dewey and other progressive reformers in education, the bureaucratization of public schools created a system that did not emphasize problem solving. Although progressive reformers tried to initiate education that more strongly emphasized problem solving and acknowledged student diversity inability, according to Skrtic, these reforms failed because professional bureaucracies, i.e. traditional public schools, are not designed to be problem-solving organizations. In Skrtic’s view, a post-industrial definition of equity and excellence in education must shy away from standardization and emphasize problem solving in order to give students the critical thinking ability and exposure to individual diversity that exists in the 21st century. In his view, schools that are structured as adhocracies are the only organizations that can reverse the failures of traditional public schools and, in turn, help revitalize democracy in the U.S. by providing an equitable and high-quality education to all students.
