Toward a Re-thinking of Mass Public Schooling: A Personal Exploration

Mass public schooling as we know it was one result of the industrial revolution. Its organizational form was heavily influenced by the 'code' of industrialism, the scientific management movement and industrial bureaucracy. While the promise of the philosophy underlying the use of the bureaucratic form in social institutions is tempting, the literature of bureaucracy indicates that bureaucratic organizations are most successful when certain preconditions are met, less successful when they are not. These preconditions are increasingly absent from our schools, school systems and the environment in which they operate. Hence, the bureaucratic form is increasingly counter-indicated, and its continued use may be a contributing factor in what appears to be a growing level of dissatisfaction with the system and dysfunction in the system. By recognizing a distinction between the terms 'education' and 'schooling' we may be able to move beyond mass public schooling to a situation in which the public is well-educated.