The Laborschule Bielefeld, a school in Germany, employs sociocracy, a decision-making process that goes beyond simple majority voting, to foster greater participation among students and teachers. This approach stemmed from a prolonged disagreement regarding the implementation of a project week, which highlighted the need for a more effective method of consensus-building.
The school's adoption of sociocracy has not only resolved the conflict but has also sparked a new research project. Researchers from Bielefeld University and teachers at the Laborschule are collaborating to investigate how sociocratic participation benefits students. The project aims to assess the positive impacts of this decision-making model on student learning and engagement.