How did the progressive concern for efficiency affect social reform efforts,public education,government administration, and rural life?

Although we don't usually think of social reform being
concerned with efficiency, you can argue that it was during the Progressive Era.  For
example, one reason they wanted Prohibition was that they thought that people who didn't
drink would be better and more efficient workers than people who did
drink.

In education, they wanted to train the upper level
kids for thinking jobs and the lower class kids to be drones in factories.  That's more
efficient than A) having all the lower class kids completely uneducated and/or B)
wasting money teaching Shakespeare to someone who's going to be a factory worker --
their thinking, not necessarily mine.

In government, they
wanted it to be run by experts.  This would be more efficient than having it run by
politicians because experts would not waste money.  They would just do what was best
rather than trying to spend money getting votes for themselves.