Piloting ‘Krewe School’: An Org School Approach to Social Learning in Social Innovation Education

Abstract

This paper describes Krewe School, a pilot program at Tulane University that uses an innovative “Org School” approach to social innovation education that targets collective rather than individual capacity-building. Krewe School emphasizes transformative social innovation through an applied social learning program for existing shared-purpose groups that builds capacities and connections for social change. We situate Krewe School in the social innovation educational landscape and align the key features of our program with transformative social innovation theory. We use the TRANsformative Social Innovation Theory (TRANSIT) project’s social learning framework to show how our program’s learning actors, environments, types of learning, and methods are designed to foster new collective understandings and relationships. The paper concludes with insights on adapting this Org School model, highlighting a cohort-based approach, skilled facilitation, a welcoming environment, and varied activities to meet diverse learning objectives. By sharing Krewe School’s core components and practical guidance, we aim to inspire further experimentation and integration of structured social learning programs in educational institutions.