There are many facets to a successful education system. When those parts come together, student success is inevitable. Russell Weikle, ACSA’s 2011 Career Technical Education Administrator of the Year, said his career in education has been a perfect fit.

“I’ve been lucky to work with such incredible people whom I admire and love,” he said. “Many people might not think of career technical education as a creative field. But with the people I have worked with, I feel like the Beatles must have felt when they would create a hit song. All elements come together in perfect harmony.”

Weikle, Perkins administrator at the California Department of Education, said he is extremely touched to have received the ACSA award. However, it is also a reminder that there is still much more work to be done.

“Nothing can be more gratifying than recognition from peers and colleagues for a job well done,” he said. “I don’t know many people who are still excited to get out of bed every morning to go to work, but I am. To receive an award for something I love to do is a true gift for which I am grateful.”

Weikle said his success is due, in part, to his staff, who does all the day-to-day work. It is ironic that they are the ones who nominated him for the award.

“I have had immeasurable opportunities to learn from so many others. In my estimation, this award is as much theirs as it is mine. I would not be receiving this recognition without the wisdom and confidence others have imparted to me; I’m just the front man,” he said.

In fact, Weikle said he wouldn’t be where he is today if not for the many people who have helped him along the way, including colleagues and the students themselves.

“During my career, I’ve collaborated with many talented, effective educators as well as a large number of enthusiastic students,” he said. “These productive interactions and prolific exchanges of ideas have provided ongoing growth opportunities throughout my professional life.”

Weikle, who has held his current position since 2008, began his career in educational leadership a decade earlier as middle school principal in the Auburn UESD. His subsequent positions included serving as a middle school principal in the Dry Creek JESD and as an education programs consultant at CDE.

As for anyone in education, the increasing budget cuts have inflicted new challenges on Weikle and those working in career technical education.

“At the state level, we face many of the same challenges that districts and school sites do,” he said. “To creatively make the best use of reduced funding without cutting opportunities and programs for CTE students is our goal.”

Weikle said career technical education is the only discipline that has not historically been a state graduation or college entrance requirement. At the same time, quality CTE programs can be some of the most expensive programs for a district to offer. This is one reason why he chose to take his current position at the Department of Education.

Today, many CTE courses meet A-G requirements, or meet industry-recognized certifications or licenses. Providing this level of rigorous training for students gives them the opportunity to pursue multiple career and college pathways upon graduation, Weikle said.

“Students who complete a challenging CTE program of study before graduation have the education necessary to make real choices when they graduate,” he said. “Education should not be trying to fit all students into one mold, but rather provide many opportunities for students to develop their own avenues to success.”

Weikle did not set out to pursue a career in education. In fact, when he began college, he studied to become an architect. But his education was interrupted by the Vietnam War. After serving in the Air Force and returning to school, things had changed and many architecture programs were impacted.

“Strangely enough, while sitting in one of my classes, I thought, ‘Well if I can’t be an architect, maybe I could teach someone to be an architect,’” he said. 

Career technical education was an exceptional fit, because he himself learned best by doing. In fact, he said if it wasn’t for career technical education courses in high school, he probably would not have attended college.

“I’ve always needed to see the relationship between what I’m learning and the real world. Career technical education provided me with that connection,” he said.

An ACSA member since 1994, Weikle said at first, he thought the only benefit of the association was receiving EdCal. But he soon learned of the valuable networking and professional learning opportunities ACSA provides.

“Over the years, I have realized the relationships you forge with others, the peer support and sharing of ideas, the opportunities to make real change in education, and relief from the isolation of school administration were the real values of ACSA in my career,” he said.

Weikle will be formally honored with other ACSA Administrators of the Year during the 2011 Leadership Summit, to be held Nov. 3-5 in Sacramento. Visit www.acsa.org/leadershipsummit to register.