Society values the vital role scientists and engineers play in solving urgent, real-world problems such as developing COVID-19 vaccines. The NGSS framework for Engineering Design articulates specific practices and disciplinary core ideas that work in conjunction with other science standards to equip today's youth to be solvers of tomorrow's problems: asking questions, defining problems, and developing and optimizing solutions. Students learning engineering design develop the most in-demand employability skills: creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. Despite the urgency, teaching for innovation remains a challenge. Facilitating student innovation requires persisting without an answer key and can feel unnerving. Uncertainty reduces teacher clarity, an important metric in student progress and achievement. Preparing students to solve authentic problems requires departure from backward design, and incorporation of new strategies to help students navigate uncertainty. This article shares classroom-tested strategies, inspired by methods used across many industries, to level-up student development of science and engineering practices and leadership.