Newsletters · Volume 1

The skills that hold up, whatever comes next

By Ken Montgomery · August 31, 2026

There's a version of the AI conversation in education that focuses on the tools: which platforms schools should use, how teachers should adapt assignments, whether students should be allowed to use ChatGPT.

A more fundamental question is what are schools actually preparing students for, and how should AI change this?

AI's biggest selling point at the moment is efficiency, and it delivers on that promise. Students can write essays faster, build presentations faster, and work through assignments faster, and a lot of schools are adopting it on exactly those terms.

Leading with efficiency as a goal is transactional: you want to reach an outcome, and if you can get there with as few resources as possible, that counts as a win. What it doesn't do is ask whether that outcome was the right one to begin with.

At d.tech, we don't design for efficiency. We design for human agency: the ability to know who you are, adapt when things change, work with others toward something real, and get things done in a world full of uncertainty. These are skills that don't show up on a transcript, but they're what colleges are starting to look for, what employers are already asking for, and what students need regardless of where AI goes from here.

Design thinking is how we build those skills, and the deeper goal is for it to become a permanent part of how students think and work over time.

That's what the Innovation Certificate + mentorship program is built around. And it's what this newsletter is here to share. This is our first issue. We're glad you're with us.

Ken Montgomery
Executive Director, d.tech

Student Spotlight: April Murillo

Innovation Certificate Graduate 2025 | Student at University of Puget Sound

April Murillo is studying computer science and economics at the University of Puget Sound, and she credits the Innovation Certificate with changing how she sees her future.

As she looks ahead to a career in tech, design thinking has become one of her most valuable tools; it helps her imagine multiple possible paths, make thoughtful decisions, and adapt quickly as new opportunities emerge.

"Before the innovation program, I was very hesitant about others shutting down my ideas. I now feel more comfortable giving an idea and understanding that it's ok if it doesn't work. That's something I know will benefit me for the rest of my life."

– April Murillo

Innovation Certificate + Mentorship

The Innovation Certificate is a semester-long online program in which students learn design thinking by doing. They work through real challenges, develop creative problem-solving skills, and complete a project on something they genuinely care about.

Students choose a focus area: tackling a social issue through community-centered design, or developing and planning an actual business concept. An experienced design teacher guides their work throughout, and students receive one-on-one mentorship from industry professionals. The program wraps with a formal design review where students present their prototypes.

The program carries real academic weight. Students finish with a concrete example of independent, creative work that stands out in a competitive application.

Enrollment is open for our September cohort.

Use discount code DTECHEARLY100 before Aug. 31 for $100 off.

How Design Thinking Builds Skills That Last

In any time of rapid technological change, the skills that matter most aren't the ones that show up on a transcript. d.tech calls them human agency: four skills that help students overcome any challenge, no matter what the future looks like:

Purposeful identity: graduating anchored in your values, knowing what matters to you
Adaptability: staying flexible without losing yourself when things change
Strategic efficacy: setting a goal, building a plan, and developing the competence to see it through
Relational intelligence: building trusting, respectful relationships with the people around you

Design thinking is how students build all four. Read how in the full post.

What We're Reading

Design for human agency, not efficiency
Ken's own take on why designing for efficiency in education is the wrong call right now, and what d.tech is doing instead.
Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning Joy, an Fulfillment By Daniel Coyle
"All flourishing is mutual." A research-backed look at how meaningful growth emerges through relationships and the environments we build together.
High School Design Thinking: The Problem-Solving Skills That Hold Up in Any Career
d.tech alum Sam Cheng describes how the design thinking framework translates across changes in industry, problems, and tools.

By the Numbers

60+

d.tech graduates have been admitted to 60+ selective institutions, including Stanford, MIT, Yale, Brown, and Georgetown.

Connect with Us

If something in this issue resonated, we'd love to hear from you. You can follow along on LinkedIn or explore more at the Innovation Certificate blog.