Oracle is extending its tech arm much deeper by establishing a high school in its grounds that will give a premium on technology in their curriculum. This will be the first time for a high school found on a technology company's campus as well as one that is modeled after an Ivy League University
The Design Tech High School or d.tech campus is still under construction at Oracle's headquarters in California. It was established in 2014 with Oracle deeply involved in every step of the process. The curriculum is based on Stanford's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design where students are given more freedom in creating projects and doing it at their own pace. The curriculum also encourages students to find solutions based on empathy and backed with evidence.
It's not surprising because d.tech was established by Kent Montgomery who received his degree from Stanford. However, his vision of starting d.tech only started when he helped create the speech and debate curriculum of the Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, which became the best school in Southern California.
Montgomery followed up some of his students and one was featured on the cover of TIME magazine, one became a popular DJ, and two went on to work at the White House. He wondered how a public school could create great outcomes and realized that in order to do so, one has to be actively involved in designing it. That's what happened to Rancho Bernardo and that's what became his inspiration in creating d.tech.
At d.tech, students are exposed to real-world problems where they have the opportunity to create solutions for. Every year, the students are exposed to 10-day workshops which tackle photography, 3D printing, robotics, and more. Through these, students genuinely begin to believe that they can indeed change the world.
Getting in d.tech is quite difficult because it has a limited slot. The school admits students through a lottery system to be fair as possible. Last year, 550 students vie for 140 spots. With the construction of the new building, d.tech hopes to welcome more students in the school.
