Students working together around a table on a design project

Innovation Program

Follow the questions you just can't leave alone.

Live online · Grades 6–12 · Taught by d.tech teachers

Real projects. Real experience. A story that’s yours.

Where do d.tech @ Oracle students go

At our core

Young people should shape the world around them.

So we give them real problems, real mentors, and a real standard to meet, and they come away with work that proves what they can do.

A student working with materials at a maker workbench

A design-thinking wall filled with colorful notes and ideas

Hands demonstrating a handmade wooden prototype

Find your starting point

Programs built for your setting

Choose the path that fits you.

Students testing a hands-on project together at a table

Students & families

Students gathered around a workbench to discuss their projects

Schools

Students working together on laptops in a science classroom

International programs

Two d.tech students sharing a moment at school

Employers

Why this work matters

The stakes are real

Students and schools are navigating a crowded admissions landscape and a changing world of work.

Students building a large wooden structure together in the makerspace — Learning by making, testing, and thinking together

Work is changing

81%

Of employers expect to prioritize work experience when assessing skills; 43% expect to rely on a university degree.

World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025

Applications are rising

9.4m

Applications went through the Common App in 2026, up 2.1 million in four years.

Inside Higher Ed, March 2026

The first rung is thinner

29%

Fewer entry-level job postings since January 2024.

World Economic Forum, January 2026

Skills keep moving

39%

Of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2030.

World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025

Credentials do not tell the whole story

40%+

Of employed recent college graduates work in jobs that do not require a college degree.

New York Times, June 2026

Automation is here

Up to 30%

Of current U.S. work hours could be automated by 2030.

McKinsey Global Institute

D.tech’s track record

Built on d.tech high school’s track record of success

The Innovation Program builds on the best of d.tech programming and culture.

The glass campus building with Design Tech High School signage — Design Tech High School at Oracle’s campus

01Top 5

FRC robotics Team 5940’s standing among teams worldwide.

FIRST Robotics Competition, 2026

02#15

d.tech ranking among California charters and magnets outperforming UC admission expectations.

San Francisco Chronicle, 2026

031

d.tech is one of 12 school systems nationally named to the AI K–12 Student Agency Award.

Student and Community Voice AI Summit

0497%

Share of graduates who go on to college.

d.tech internal data

POV of the Innovation Program

Students gathered for a presentation in a d.tech classroom — A school culture built around work that matters

A school idea, opened up

A belief that became a program.

d.tech opened in 2014 as a public high school on Oracle's campus, built on one idea: every student should learn to find problems worth solving and build their way to answers.

In 2019, working with the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE), our team defined what it means to be a creative, self-directed leader and designed a program to develop those skills.

It worked so well with d.tech students that Director of Innovation Nicole Cerra opened it to students everywhere that same year.

That program became the Innovation Program.

Since then our program has evolved to serve more students and schools and yet, we continue to carry the school's mission: to develop people who believe the world can be a better place, and that they can be part of making it happen.

Learning by doing

Real work, not busywork

Students using clamps on a wooden project in the makerspace — Ideas become tangible through prototyping

Students start with something that matters to them: a need, a community problem, an organizational challenge, or their own future.

They research, test, and revise with real people, guided by d.tech teachers and mentors.

Students own their choices, present to real people, and share what they made and learned.

QuestionMakeShare what you learned

In their own words

The work changes how students see themselves.

Perspectives from students who have done the work.

“I now feel more comfortable giving out an idea and understanding that it’s okay if it doesn’t work. That’s something I know will benefit me for the rest of my life.”
AprilInnovation Program student

“Now, I feel confident in reaching out to people, taking on projects, and trying new things.”
AddisonInnovation Program student

Choose where to begin

Find the right path

For families, employers, and schools ready to help students build work that matters.

Students wearing hardhats during an industry site visit

For employers

Employers

A partner rate for families
We handle the details
Announcement copy included

Explore options

Students working together on a wooden prototype in the makerspace

For students & families

Pathways for students

Four programs across grades 6–12
Live teachers and real mentors
Work worth showing

Enroll now

Students in conversation around a table beside the school windows

For schools

Schools

A signature program under your name
Taught by d.tech teachers
After-school and evening options

Learn more