Participation hogs, or "Big School, Small School" revisited

Big School, Small School is a classic book in social psychology, and one of the foundational tomes in environmental psychology. Published in 1964, it states that students participate more and learn more in smaller school settings. As David Kirkpatrick of the website School Reformers writes of the book:

Few aspects of education have been more thoroughly researched than school size;
few findings have been more consistent; and few have been more consistently ignored. 

One of the things that I always found a very interesting is the difference in the breadth and depth of participation in extracurricular activities between small and large schools.

In small schools, more students participate in a greater variety of organizations.

In large schools, fewer students participate, they specialize, and they "hog" participation activities--a handful of students hold particular prestigious offices in student organizations, etc.

I couldn't help but think of this book when reading the article in yesterday's Washington Post, "Appointments Spark Hearings: Some Charge Mayoral Meddling in Personnel Changes," about how the current administration is exerting greater control over city boards and commissions by firing or not reappointing various board members, and replacing them with city government employees or people with extremely close ties to the development community.

I am sure this is but one example of the kind of participation hogs that we have at the highest levels of government in DC.
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ERIC summary of Big School, Small School:

Studies were made in Kansas High Schools to determine the effect of school size upon the behavior and experiences of students. The following areas were considered--the school involved in the study, the data gathered from records and research, out-of-school activities and the place of the high school students in the total life of four small towns. The assumption that a rich curriculum, varied extracurricular activities, and good facilities necessarily mean rich experiences for the students is refuted. This refutation arises from the confusion between facilities and experiences. Most of the studies showed that the greatest participation in student government and extracurricular activities, the largest percentage of students assuming leadership positions and responsibility, the most use made of a variety of courses offered, and the greatest involvement in community life came from those small school-small town adolescents. Schools are specialized environments established in order to produce certain educational opportunities and effects. However, without student participation, enthusiasm, and responsibility, the educational process is not fulfilled, regardless of excellent facilities. Therefore, it appears that increasing school size, in and of itself, is relatively ineffective means of achieving richness and variety in education.

This idea, albeit about education, can be extended to civic engagement. Having a democracy, but with relatively few opportunities to participate, is likely not the way to exercise participation and civic engagement. Democracy without the demos isn't democracy.