“I said, ‘You guys, are you willing to make a list?’ And they said, ‘Yes!’” Mr. Benioff recounted in an interview.

This is just one of many stories I heard over the past year as part of my research for an article in Wednesday's paper on how Silicon Valley billionaires are changing America’s public schools. Unlike old-school philanthropists, next-generation tech executives are hands-on benefactors. And they contribute not just money, but also their professional expertise in causing rapid change.

Mr. Benioff, for one, has committed $100 million over a decade to the San Francisco Unified School District through his company’s nonprofit arm. Separately, with his adoption of Presidio Middle School, Mr. Benioff said he was trying to provide a model for younger tech executives to personally work with schools.

After Mr. Benioff’s announcement, Thomas Ekno, the principal of the middle school, duly polled the student body. Their wishes: personal computers, better cafeteria food and a “funner environment,” Mr. Ekno said.

Soon after, Mr. Benioff wrote a personal check to cover 1,200 Chromebook laptops, one for every student in the school. To address what he called the “fun deficit,” he suggested that the principal start a club for students to design their own school playground. Then Mr. Benioff engaged Scientific Art Studio, a design firm, to consult with the students on the project.