special education teacher facts

What does a special education teacher do?

Would you make a good special education teacher? Take our career test and find your match with over 800 careers.

What is a Special Education Teacher?

A special education teacher works with students who have a wide range of disabilities and special needs. Their primary role is to provide specialized instruction and support to help students with disabilities overcome learning barriers and achieve academic, social, and emotional success. Special education teachers assess students' individual needs, develop tailored education plans, and implement effective teaching strategies and accommodations to meet each student's unique learning goals.

In addition to academic instruction, special education teachers also foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment for their students. They collaborate closely with other educators, administrators, parents, and support staff to create Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and ensure that students with disabilities receive the necessary accommodations, services, and resources to thrive in school.

What does a Special Education Teacher do?

Duties and Responsibilities Special education teachers have a range of duties and responsibilities that are vital in ensuring that students with disabilities receive the support they need to succeed. Some of these responsibilities include:

• Assessment and Individualized Education Planning: Special education teachers assess students' individual needs, strengths, and challenges to determine eligibility for special education services. They collaborate with other professionals, such as psychologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists, to conduct evaluations and develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) tailored to each student's unique learning goals and needs.
• Instruction and Differentiated Teaching: Special education teachers design and implement specialized instruction and teaching strategies to accommodate diverse learning styles and abilities. They adapt curriculum materials, modify instructional approaches, and provide individualized support to help students with disabilities access the general education curriculum and make academic progress. Special education teachers may also provide small-group instruction, one-on-one tutoring, or co-teaching support in inclusive classroom settings.
• Behavior Management and Support: Special education teachers help students develop social skills, self-regulation, and positive behavior management strategies to succeed in school and community settings. They establish clear expectations, reinforce positive behaviors, and provide targeted interventions and supports to address challenging behaviors and promote a positive learning environment. Special education teachers collaborate with behavior specialists, counselors, and support staff to implement behavior intervention plans and support students' social-emotional development.
• Collaboration and Communication: Special education teachers collaborate closely with general education teachers, administrators, parents, and other professionals to support students' academic and developmental needs. They attend team meetings, participate in IEP meetings, and communicate regularly with parents to discuss students' progress, set goals, and coordinate services. Special education teachers advocate for students with disabilities, ensuring that they receive appropriate accommodations, services, and resources to succeed in school and beyond.
• Professional Development and Continued Learning: Special education teachers engage in ongoing professional development and training to stay updated on best practices, research-based interventions, and legal requirements related to special education. They participate in workshops, conferences, and seminars, pursue advanced degrees or certifications, and collaborate with colleagues to share expertise and resources. Special education teachers continuously strive to improve their teaching practices and support the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

Types of Special Education Teachers There are various types of special education teachers, each specializing in a specific area of need or disability. Some of the most common types of special education teachers include:

• Autism Teacher: These teachers work with students who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They may use specialized techniques such as applied behavior analysis (ABA) to help students develop social skills, communication skills, and independence.
• Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Teacher: These teachers work with students who have emotional or behavioral disorders that may impact their ability to learn and interact with others. They may help students develop coping skills, build positive relationships, and manage their behavior in the classroom.
• Learning Disabilities Teacher: These teachers specialize in working with students who have difficulties with reading, writing, or math. They may use specialized techniques to help students overcome these challenges and develop their skills in these areas.
• Occupational Therapist : Occupational therapists work with students who have physical disabilities or challenges with fine motor skills. They may help students develop skills such as handwriting, dressing, or eating independently.
• Physical Therapist : Physical therapists work with students who have physical disabilities or challenges with gross motor skills. They may help students develop skills such as walking, climbing stairs, or participating in physical education activities.
• Speech and Language Pathologist : These professionals work with students who have communication disorders such as stuttering, language delays, or articulation disorders. They may work with students one-on-one or in small groups to help them develop their communication skills.

Are you suited to be a special education teacher?

Special education teachers have distinct personalities . They tend to be social individuals, which means they’re kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful, and friendly. They excel at socializing, helping others, and teaching. Some of them are also investigative, meaning they’re intellectual, introspective, and inquisitive.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if special education teacher is one of your top career matches.

What is the workplace of a Special Education Teacher like?

Special education teachers may work in a variety of environments, including public and private schools, specialized special education schools, inclusive classrooms, resource rooms, or self-contained classrooms dedicated to students with disabilities. These settings may range from elementary, middle, or high schools to specialized programs or alternative education centers.

Inclusive classrooms, where students with disabilities are integrated into general education classrooms alongside their peers without disabilities, are becoming increasingly common. In these settings, special education teachers collaborate closely with general education teachers to provide differentiated instruction, accommodations, and support to meet the diverse learning needs of all students. They may co-teach with general education teachers, provide push-in or pull-out support, or work in small groups to provide targeted interventions and assistance to students with disabilities.

Additionally, special education teachers may also spend time outside of the classroom attending meetings, collaborating with other professionals, and conducting assessments and evaluations. They work closely with parents, administrators, counselors, therapists, and support staff to develop and implement Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), monitor student progress, and ensure that students with disabilities receive the necessary services and supports to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Teaching/school related careers and degrees.

• Adult Education Teacher
• Art Teacher
• Career Counselor
• CTE Teacher
• Dance Teacher
• Distance Learning Coordinator
• Elementary Teacher
• ESL Teacher
• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• High School Teacher
• Kindergarten Teacher
• Middle School Teacher
• Music Teacher
• Physical Education Teacher
• Preschool Teacher
• Private Tutor
• School Counselor
• School Principal
• Special Education Teacher
• STEM Teacher
• Substitute Teacher
• Teacher Assistant
• Virtual Teacher
• Bilingual Education
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Early Childhood Education
• Educational Administration
• Elementary Education
• School Psychology
• Special Education Teaching

Continue reading

Special Education Teachers are also known as: Special Education Resource Teacher Inclusion Teacher

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Free end-of-year letter templates to your students 📝!

What Is Special Education? A Guide for Educators and Families

It’s a service, not a place.

Students who are blind are provided with braille books. An autistic student uses a visual schedule. A student with a learning disability receives additional reading instruction. These students all receive special education services.

Special education provides services that meet the unique needs of each student. This means that special education can include:

• An individualized curriculum that is different than general education peers’
• A curriculum that is modified for a student
• A combination of both

Here’s a roundup of everything you need to know about special education, plus our best special education articles.

What laws are involved in special education?

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that explains how states must address special education. The IDEA definition of special education is: specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. It includes physical education, related services (e.g., speech therapy, occupational therapy), vocational education, and travel training. Essentially, special education is how students with disabilities have their needs met in the public education system.

Read more: What Is IDEA?

What about state laws?

IDEA sets the standard at the federal level, but the process and system are set up at the state level. So what special education looks like varies from state to state.

Visit your state’s Department of Special Education website or check out the parent resource center (every state has one) for information related to special education aimed at parents.

Find your state’s parent resource center in this list from Center for Parent Information & Resources .

How is special education not a “place”?

Special education can occur in many different settings, from the general education classroom to a hospital or separate school. Where a child receives services depends on their needs as determined by the IEP team, which includes the parents.

What are the main components of special education? (What do the acronyms stand for?)

Image: Pathfinder Services of ND

FAPE is Free Appropriate Public Education. This essentially means that students with disabilities must be provided with their education at no cost to the parents, just like any other student.

Read more: What Is FAPE?

Image: Arizona Department of Education

LRE is Least Restrictive Environment. LRE is the setting where the child receives services and can vary from general education to a separate school or even the child’s home. The LRE is decided by the IEP team. According to IDEA, special education must be provided in the least restrictive environment, or the same environment as their nondisabled peers, “to the greatest extent possible.” This means that children should only be removed from general education when their disability is such that that they cannot make progress. So, all consideration of where a child will learn starts in general education and works back from there.

Read more: What Is Least Restrictive Environment?

Image: Coastal Carolina University

SDI is specially designed instruction. This is the foundation of what special education is based on—that every child receives the instruction that they need to make progress and advance toward goals. SDI means adapting the content, delivery, or methodology of instruction to address the child’s needs, as determined by the needs related to their disability. The focus is on helping the child meet educational standards and ensuring access to the general curriculum. To help children access general education curriculum, SDI provides adaptations, accommodations, and modifications.

Read more: What Is Specially Designed Instruction?

IEP is the Individual Education Program. The IEP is the document that outlines everything that a child requires to receive FAPE and SDI.

Read more: What Is an IEP?

Accommodations and Modifications

Image: The Bender Bunch

Accommodations and modifications are ways that SDI is delivered and how the curriculum is individualized for a child; ways that the child receives access to the general education curriculum. In short, accommodations change how the material is being presented in a way that helps the child overcome or access through the disability. Modifications change what a child is taught or how the child works at school. So, an accommodation would be: allowing a child to record rather than write their answers, or reading aloud a question rather than having them read it. A modification would be providing a child a text with visuals instead of the general education text, or providing a test with two answer choices instead of four.

Read more: Accommodations vs. Modifications: What’s the difference?

Bookmark:  80+ Accommodations Every Special Ed Teacher Should Bookmark

More IDEA terms are defined at Parent Center Hub .

Which students can receive special education and who decides?

Special education is provided to students who fall under one of 13 disability categories:

• Developmental delay
• Specific learning disability
• Speech impairment
• Other health impairment
• Traumatic brain injury
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Vision impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Deaf-blindness
• Emotional disability
• Orthopedic impairment
• Intellectual disability
• Multiple disabilities

In order to receive special education services, a student must be found eligible. This means that they have one of the 13 disabilities and that it impacts them in the school setting. If the child cannot make progress in the general curriculum without SDI, they are eligible for special education services. (If they can make progress but still have an outside diagnosis, they may have a 504 plan in place instead.)

Read more: What Is a 504 plan?

An evaluation is different for each disability category (for example, an evaluation for traumatic brain injury will include a medical evaluation, while an evaluation for speech impairment will not). These regulations vary from state to state so it’s important to know your state’s requirements and timeline.

What is in an IEP?

The IEP includes all the information that the team needs to educate a child with a disability. It only addresses the aspects of a child’s disability that impact them throughout the school day. The sections of an IEP are:

• Present levels: How the child is currently doing in school and how the disability impacts them in class.
• Annual goals: Goals that the child will work on through SDI.
• Objectives: Students who take alternate assessments will also have objectives towards their goals.
• Measuring and reporting progress: Ways that the child’s progress is going to be measured and how it will be reported to parents.
• Specially designed instruction: A statement about how special education and related services will be provided.
• Related services include any therapies (speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy).
• Supplementary aids and services provide access to participation across academic, extracurricular, and nonacademic settings.
• Program modifications for school personnel, which include things that school personnel need to know in order to work with this student (for example, how to use an assisted communication device).
• Extent of nonparticipation is the explanation of how much, if any, the child will be outside of general education, and why the team made that decision.
• Accommodations that the student will be provided during classroom instruction.
• Accommodations that a student will receive during district and state testing.
• Service delivery includes when, where, and how long a child will receive SDI (for example, 30 minutes 1x/week in special education).
• Transition planning for life after secondary school starts no later than a child’s 16th birthday (and can start earlier).
• Age of majority: An IEP must include a statement about how the student understands their rights as they graduate from the IEP.

What happens in an IEP meeting?

There are many different reasons to come together around an IEP, but every year, each student who has an IEP will have an annual review. During an annual review meeting, the team (parent, teachers, a district representative, therapists) discuss the child, their progress, and next steps. Everything in the IEP should be based on data, so it’s important to bring information (e.g., work samples, test data) to review.

Any decision regarding an IEP is a team decision, and team members don’t always agree. If the meeting cannot resolve a concern, schools or parents can follow procedures to reach an agreement.

Read more: What Is an IEP meeting?

Read more: What Is a Manifestation Determination Meeting?

When does special education start and end?

A child can receive early intervention or special education services if they have a disability diagnosed before age 3 (such as Down syndrome) or if they are at risk of a delay.

Read more: What Is Early Intervention?

The end-date for a student who has an IEP depends on a few things. They may be reevaluated and found no longer eligible, in which case special education services would end at that point. Otherwise they are no long eligible when they graduate from high school or turn 22.

What is NOT special education?

There are misconceptions about special education. Some things that special education is not:

• A specific program, like Orton-Gillingham
• Differentiated instruction
• An inclusive classroom

What else should I know?

Here are more of our favorite special education resources:

What Is Inclusion in Education?

27+ Best Autism Resources for Educators

If you’re still using these five words for students with disabilities, it’s time to stop.

New Ways To Empower Students Who Have Learning Differences or Dyslexia

How Teachers Can Support Twice-Exceptional Students

The IEP From A to Z: How To Create Meaningful and Measurable Goals and Objectives by Diane Twachtman-Cullen and Jennifer Twachtman-Bassett

10 Critical Components for Success in the Special Education Classroom by Marcia Rohrer and Nannette Samson

Wrightslaw: All About IEPs by Peter Wright, Pamela Wright, and Sandra Webb O’Connor

Do you teach special education? Connect with other teachers on the  WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

For more articles like this one,  subscribe to our newsletters..

You Might Also Like

What Is a Paraprofessional?

They're often called the "backbone of the classroom." Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

NASET.org Home Page

Exceptional teachers teaching exceptional children.

• Overview of NASET
• NASET Leadership
• Directors' Message
• Books by the Executive Directors
• Mission Statement
• NASET Apps for iPhone and iPad
• NASET Store
• NASET Sponsors
• Marketing Opportunities
• Contact NASET
• Renew Your Membership
• Membership Benefits
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Membership Categories
• School / District Membership Information
• Gift Membership
• Membership Benefit for Professors Only
• NASET's Privacy Policy
• Forgot Your User Name or Password?
• Contact Membership Department
• Resources for Special Education Teachers
• Advocacy (Board Certification for Advocacy in Special Education) BCASE
• Board Certification in Special Education
• Inclusion - Board Certification in Inclusion in Special Education (BCISE) Program
• Paraprofessional Skills Preparation Program - PSPP
• Professional Development Program (PDP) Free to NASET Members
• Courses - Professional Development Courses (Free With Membership)
• Forms, Tables, Checklists, and Procedures for Special Education Teachers
• Video and Power Point Library
• IEP Development
• Exceptional Students and Disability Information
• Special Education and the Law
• Transition Services
• Literacy - Teaching Literacy in English to K-5 English Learners
• Facebook - Special Education Teacher Group
• NASET Sponsor's Products and Services
• ADHD Series
• Assessment in Special Education Series
• Autism Spectrum Disorders Series
• Back to School - Special Review
• Bullying of Children
• Classroom Management Series
• Diagnosis of Students with Disabilities and Disorders Series
• Treatment of Disabilities and Disorders for Students Receiving Special Education and Related Services
• Discipline of Students in Special Education Series
• Early Intervention Series
• Genetics in Special Education Series
• How To Series
• Inclusion Series
• IEP Components
• JAASEP - Research Based Journal in Special Education
• Lesser Known Disorders
• NASET NEWS ALERTS
• NASET Q & A Corner
• Parent Teacher Conference Handouts
• The Practical Teacher
• Resolving Disputes with Parents Series
• RTI Roundtable
• Severe Disabilities Series
• Special Educator e-Journal - Latest and Archived Issues
• Week in Review
• Working with Paraprofessionals in Your School
• Author Guidelines for Submission of Manuscripts & Articles to NASET
• SCHOOLS of EXCELLENCE
• Exceptional Charter School in Special Education
• Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award
• Board Certification Programs
• Employers - Job Posting Information
• Latest Job Listings
• Professional Development Program (PDP)
• Employers-Post a Job on NASET
• PDP - Professional Development Courses
• Board Certification in Special Education (BCSE)
• Board Certification in IEP Development (BCIEP)
• NASET Continuing Education/Professional Development Courses
• HONOR SOCIETY - Omega Gamma Chi
• Other Resources for Special Education Teaching Positions
• Highly Qualified Teachers
• Special Education Career Advice
• Special Education Career Fact Sheets
• FAQs for Special Education Teachers
• Special Education Teacher Salaries by State
• State Licensure for Special Education Teachers
• The State of Learning Disabilities Facts, Trends and Emerging Issues

For more than 35 years, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has provided essential information and needed resources and services to the learning disabilities community. And in response to a rapidly changing educational landscape, it has recently broadened its mission to address the needs of the more than one in five children, adolescents and adults who are impacted by learning and attention issues every day, in school, at home, in the community and in the workplace. This issue of NASET’s LD Report presents the revised and expanded 2014 edition of The State of Learning Disabilities. It reflects NCLD’s commitment to ensuring that everyone who is concerned about the well-being of individuals—with or without identified learning disabilities—has access to the most relevant and updated information.

Not a Member?

If you are a member of NASET , please login to freely access this and all archived articles.

If you are NOT A MEMBER of NASET you may purchase this article for $.99 (use the "Buy now" button above) or Join NASET for free access to this and all articles within past publications..

NASET Members - Login to access this issue of NASET LD REPORT.

Publications

• Introduction to Learning Disabilities
• Theoretical Perspectives on the Causes of Learning Disabilities
• Characteristics of Children with Learning Disabilities
• Eligibility Determination for Specific Learning Disabilities
• The Importance of Response to Intervention (RTI) in the Understanding, Assessment, Diagnosis, and Teaching of Students with Learning Disabilities
• Effective Teaching Strategies for Students with LD
• Promoting Positive Social Interactions in an Inclusion Setting for Students with Learning Disabilities
• Transition Services for Students with Learning Disabilities
• IEP Development and Educational Placement Options for Students with Learning Disabilities
• Assessment Measure Used to Determine Learning Disabilities in Students
• Differentiation: Strategies and Educational Impact
• Learning Disability Identification: What You Need to Know about the Discrepancy and Patterns of Strengths and Weaknessess ("Third Method") Models
• What is a Learning Disability, Really? by Carol Murphy, MA, CCC-SLP
• Social Skills and Academic Achievement
• Accommodations and Modifications: Wait, They're not the same?
• Using Universal Design for Learning: Successful Transition Models for Educators Working with Youth with Learning Disabilities
• Students with Learning Disabilities Participating in Recess
• Dyslexia: An Upside Down World in a Right Side Up World By. Ruth Humbert
• Adolescent Literacy
• A Discussion of Reading Disorders: Perceptual, Cognitive and Mnemonic Elements
• Learning Disabilities Today: An Examination of Effective and Not-So-Effective Interventions
• Test Anxiety and Students with Learning Disabilities By Kendra Brown
• Limitations on Response to Intervention with Emphasis on General Education Teachers
• Practical Understanding and Intervention of Dyscalculia By Brittany Ann Ross
• Benefits and Limitations of Technology Use for Students with Reading and Writing Disorders in the General Education Classroom: A Systematic Review
• General and Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions of the Implementation of Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Classrooms with Learning Disabilities Students*
• Strategies for Supporting Students Struggling with Sight Word Retention
• A Critique of: Cognitive Risk Factors for Specific Learning Disorder: Processing Speed, Temporal Processing, and Working Memory
• Diverse Learners and Intervention: A Review of Literature
• Improving Reading Skills in Students Below Grade Level: A Literature Review
• New Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities
• NCES Releases Latest NAEP Long-Term Trend Report for Ages 9 and 13
• The Practices of Teachers in the Development of Post-Secondary Skills in Students with Learning Disabilities
• They Sing Their Way to Reading
• Supporting the Mental Health of Students with Dyslexia: What Educators Can Do?
• Evidence Based Practice Research: Elkonin Boxes
• Students Coping with Dyslexia in General Education Classrooms
• Overcoming Dyslexia: Music, Rhythm, and Prosody

©2024 National Association of Special Education Teachers. All rights reserved

• Create new account

Special Education Teacher

Special education teachers work with students who have learning, mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. They adapt general education lessons and teach various subjects to students with mild to moderate disabilities. They also teach basic skills to students with severe disabilities.

Special education teachers typically do the following:

• Assess students’ skills and determine their educational needs
• Adapt general lessons to meet students’ needs
• Develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for each student
• Plan activities that are specific to each student’s abilities
• Teach and mentor students as a class, in small groups, and one-on-one
• Implement IEPs, assess students’ performance, and track their progress
• Update IEPs throughout the school year to reflect students’ progress and goals
• Discuss students’ progress with parents, other teachers, counselors, and administrators
• Supervise and mentor teacher assistants who work with students with disabilities
• Prepare and help students transition from grade to grade and from school to life outside of school

Special education teachers work with students from preschool to high school. They instruct students who have mental, emotional, physical, or learning disabilities. For example, some help students develop study skills, such as highlighting text and using flashcards. Others work with students who have physical disabilities and may use a wheelchair or other adaptive devices. Still others work with students who have sensory disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments. They also may work with those who have autism spectrum disorders or emotional disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

Special education teachers work with general education teachers, specialists, administrators, and parents to develop IEPs. Students’ IEPs outline their goals, including academic or behavioral milestones, and services they are to receive, such as speech therapy. Educators and parents also meet to discuss updates and changes to IEPs.

Special education teachers must be comfortable using and learning new technology. Most use computers to keep records of their students’ performance, prepare lesson plans, and update IEPs. Some teachers also use assistive technology aids, such as Braille writers and computer software, that help them communicate with their students.

Special education teachers’ duties vary by their work setting, students’ disabilities, and specialties.

Some special education teachers work in classrooms or resource centers that include only students with disabilities. In these settings, teachers plan, adapt, and present lessons to meet each student’s needs. They teach students individually or in small groups.

In inclusive classrooms, special education teachers instruct students with disabilities who are in general education classrooms. They work with general education teachers to adapt lessons so that students with disabilities can more easily understand them.

Some special education teachers work with students who have moderate to severe disabilities. These teachers help students, who may be eligible for services until age 21, develop basic life skills. Some teach the skills necessary for students with moderate disabilities to live independently, find a job, and manage money and their time. For more information about other workers who help individuals with disabilities develop skills necessary to live independently, see the profiles on occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants and aides.

Special education teachers held about 476,300 jobs in 2021. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up special education teachers was distributed as follows:

The largest employers of special education teachers were as follows:

A small number of special education teachers work with students in residential facilities, hospitals, and the students’ homes. They may travel to these locations. Some teachers work with infants and toddlers at the child’s home. They teach the child’s parents ways to help the child develop skills.

Helping students with disabilities may be rewarding. It also can be stressful, emotionally demanding, and physically draining.

Work Schedules

Special education teachers typically work during school hours. In addition to providing instruction during this time, they grade papers, update students’ records, and prepare lessons. They may meet with parents, students, and other teachers or specialists before and after classes.

Many work the traditional 10-month school year and have a 2-month break during the summer. They also have a short midwinter break. Some teachers work in summer programs.

Teachers in districts with a year-round schedule typically work 9 weeks in a row and then are on break for 3 weeks.

Special education teachers in public schools are required to have at least a bachelor’s degree and a state-issued certification or license. Private schools typically require teachers to have a bachelor’s degree, but the teachers are not required to be licensed or certified.

All states require special education teachers in public schools to have at least a bachelor's degree. Some require teachers to earn a degree specifically in special education. Others allow them to major in education or a content area, such as mathematics or science, and pursue a minor in special education.

In a program leading to a bachelor’s degree in special education, prospective teachers learn about the different types of disabilities and how to present information so that students will understand. Programs typically include a student-teaching program, in which prospective teachers work with a mentor and get experience instructing students in a classroom setting. To become fully certified, states may require special education teachers to complete a master’s degree in special education after obtaining a job.

Private schools typically require teachers to have at least a bachelor’s degree in special education.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

All states require teachers in public schools to be licensed in the specific grade level that they teach. A license frequently is referred to as a certification. Those who teach in private schools typically do not need to be licensed.

Requirements for certification or licensure can vary by state but generally involve the following:

• A bachelor’s degree with a minimum grade point average
• Completion of a student-teaching program
• Passing a background check
• Passing a general teaching certification test, as well as a test that demonstrates knowledge of the subject the candidate will teach

For information about teacher preparation programs and certification requirements, visit  Teach.org  or contact your state’s board of education.

All states offer an alternative route to certification or licensure for people who already have a bachelor’s degree. These alternative programs cover teaching methods and child development. Candidates are awarded full certification after they complete the program. Other alternative programs require prospective teachers to take classes in education before they can start to teach. Teachers may be awarded a master’s degree after completing either type of program.

Advancement

Experienced teachers may advance to become mentors who help less experienced teachers improve their instructional skills. They also may become lead teachers.

Teachers may become school counselors, instructional coordinators, and elementary, middle, and high school principals. These positions generally require additional education, an advanced degree, or certification. An advanced degree in education administration or leadership may be helpful.

Special education teachers typically have an interest in the Creating and Helping interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Creating interest area indicates a focus on being original and imaginative, and working with artistic media. The Helping interest area indicates a focus on assisting, serving, counseling, or teaching other people.

If you are not sure whether you have a Creating or Helping interest which might fit with a career as a special education teacher, you can take a career test to measure your interests.

Special education teachers should also possess the following specific qualities:

Communication skills. Special education teachers discuss student’s needs and performances with general education teachers, parents, and administrators. They also explain difficult concepts in terms that students with learning disabilities can understand.

Critical-thinking skills. Special education teachers assess students’ progress and use that information to adapt lessons to help them learn.

Interpersonal skills. Special education teachers regularly work with general education teachers, school counselors, administrators, and parents to develop Individualized Education Programs. As a result, they need to be able to build positive working relationships.

Patience. Working with students with special needs and different abilities can be difficult. Special education teachers should be patient with each student, as some may need the instruction given aloud, at a slower pace, or in writing.                                  

Resourcefulness. Special education teachers must develop different ways to present information in a manner that meets the needs of their students. They also help general education teachers adapt their lessons to the needs of students with disabilities.

The median annual wage for special education teachers was $61,820 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $46,180, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $100,040.

Median annual wages for special education teachers in May 2021 were as follows:

In May 2021, the median annual wages for special education teachers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Overall employment of special education teachers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

About 37,600 openings for special education teachers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. 

Demand for special education teachers will be driven by school enrollments and the need for special education services.

Demand for these teachers and services should rise as disabilities are being identified earlier and as children with disabilities are enrolled into special education programs.

Federal laws require that every state must maintain the same level of financial support for special education every year. However, employment growth of special education teachers may depend on funding availability.

For more information about special education teachers, visit

Council for Exceptional Children

Personnel Improvement Center

National Association of Special Education Teachers

For more information about teaching and becoming a teacher, visit

American Federation of Teachers

National Education Association

Where does this information come from?

The career information above is taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook . This excellent resource for occupational data is published by the U.S. Department of Labor every two years. Truity periodically updates our site with information from the BLS database.

I would like to cite this page for a report. Who is the author?

There is no published author for this page. Please use citation guidelines for webpages without an author available. 

I think I have found an error or inaccurate information on this page. Who should I contact?

This information is taken directly from the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Truity does not editorialize the information, including changing information that our readers believe is inaccurate, because we consider the BLS to be the authority on occupational information. However, if you would like to correct a typo or other technical error, you can reach us at [email protected] .

I am not sure if this career is right for me. How can I decide?

There are many excellent tools available that will allow you to measure your interests, profile your personality, and match these traits with appropriate careers. On this site, you can take the Career Personality Profiler assessment, the Holland Code assessment, or the Photo Career Quiz .

Get Our Newsletter

What is Special Education?

There is a system of support available for students with learning differences. 

Getty Images

The majority of students with disabilities -- about two-thirds -- are male, according to data from the Pew Research Center on the 2017-18 school year.

For decades, public schools have been required by law to provide a “free and appropriate education” to children with disabilities. The system for making that happen is a complicated web of acronyms and regulations that govern services and support. We call it special education.

Special education refers to a set of federal and state laws and regulations designed to educate millions of children with disabilities and serve as a safety net for those unable to take advantage of the mainstream school curriculum without help.

“The special education laws are a recognition that students with disabilities aren’t able to access an education the way other students can without special supports,” says Ron Hager, managing attorney for education and employment at the National Disability Rights Network. “Special education gives students with disabilities what they need to be successful.”

Special Education by the Numbers

Special education in the United States is governed by the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Education Act , sometimes called IDEA. The law states that children with cognitive, physical, emotional and medical conditions are entitled to special services, supports, technologies and individualized planning and goals outside the general education curriculum.

More than 7 million students , or about 14% of those ages 3 to 21 in public schools, were entitled to special services and accommodations to help with learning in the 2019-20 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The percentage of students in special education also varies by state, with differences likely due to inconsistencies in how states determine eligibility , as well as challenges that come with diagnosing disabilities. New York serves the largest percentage of disabled students.

Nationwide, the system helps children with disabilities gain a basic education, acquire life skills and integrate with their peers.

During the pandemic, when schooling moved online, that support continued in many cases, says Lindsay Kubatzky, director of policy and advocacy at the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

“As school systems navigated the pandemic, [special education laws] ensured that educators continued to provide high-quality, tailored education to students with disabilities, regardless of circumstances,” he wrote in an email. “In any learning setting, students are still guaranteed the accommodations and resources they need to be successful. The law protects the rights of students with disabilities even in the most challenging of times.”

However, Hager says there is still a great deal of work ahead.

“During the pandemic, no student really got what they needed,” he says. “Going forward, the special education system is going to make sure there is a closer look given so that students with disabilities are caught up.”

Who Receives Special Education Services?

Among all students receiving special education services that year, 34% had a specific learning disability, generally defined as a difference in the way they think, speak, read, write or spell. Dyslexia , a learning disorder that impacts the ability to read, is perhaps the most commonly known learning disability. But over the years, other key challenges have been identified, such as dysgraphia , which impacts writing, and dyscalculia , which impacts math and related activities.

Another 19% had a speech or language impairment. Autistic children made up about 10% of the nation’s disabled students in the 2017-18 school year, compared to about 1.5% in 2000-01, according to NCES data .

“It used to be that one in 10,000 people had autism, and now it is one in 100,” Hager says. “If you ask five different people why that is, you will get six different answers, including environmental factors. But the fact is, autism and the need for services is much more on people’s radars. And there is an understanding that autism is a spectrum, in which you can be high-functioning but also need special education services, particularly social-emotional services.”

The Special Case of ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder represents a special case when it comes to obtaining support and services at school. ADHD is not identified as one of the 13 federal disability categories that are guaranteed services, though there are ways that children with ADHD can receive help.

When the child has severe ADHD that leads to performing two grades below their level, the disability can be classified as “otherwise health impaired” and the student can be eligible for services under federal law. Less severe cases of ADHD, and other disabilities, can obtain special education services through something called a 504 Plan, which provides accommodations such as preferential seating or extended time on tests.

“Both medically and educationally, our understanding of ADHD continues to improve, but there is still tremendous confusion about what constitutes ADHD,” Elena Silva, director of PK-12 education at New America, a policy organization in Washington, D.C., wrote in an email.

Hager says that students with ADHD are often dismissed as “lazy or disorganized,” when what they actually need is special education supports and accommodations. “Students with ADHD often get shunted aside,” he says.

Obtaining Special Education Services

The first step in receiving special education services is to be identified by a school or district as a student who requires help. A teacher, parent or doctor will document a child’s challenges and make a case for services under the 13 federal disability categories.

Meetings and assessments will take place and a specialized plan known as an Individualized Education Program , or IEP, may be drafted to codify individual goals and accommodations. That plan will be revisited regularly to determine whether the disability classification is still valid and the child is still eligible for special education services.

However, Kubatzky says the system does not always align perfectly with the challenges faced by some students.

“Every student with a disability also presents a unique and individualized set of needs,” he says.

Searching for a school? Explore our K-12 directory .

Best States for Early Education

Tags: education , elementary school , parenting , K-12 education

2024 Best Colleges

Search for your perfect fit with the U.S. News rankings of colleges and universities.

Popular Stories

Best Colleges

College Admissions Playbook

You May Also Like

Choosing a high school: what to consider.

Cole Claybourn April 23, 2024

Map: Top 100 Public High Schools

Sarah Wood and Cole Claybourn April 23, 2024

States With Highest Test Scores

Sarah Wood April 23, 2024

Metro Areas With Top-Ranked High Schools

A.R. Cabral April 23, 2024

U.S. News Releases High School Rankings

See the 2024 Best Public High Schools

Joshua Welling April 22, 2024

Explore the 2024 Best STEM High Schools

Nathan Hellman April 22, 2024

Ways Students Can Spend Spring Break

Anayat Durrani March 6, 2024

Attending an Online High School

Cole Claybourn Feb. 20, 2024

How to Perform Well on SAT, ACT Test Day

Cole Claybourn Feb. 13, 2024

Special Education Teachers: Top 26 Skills and Qualities Needed

• Health Sciences
• Careers for Veterans
• College Advice
• Completing Your Degree
• Dental Hygiene
• Marketing and Communications
• Medical Imaging
• Occupational Therapy
• Online Learning
• Public Health
• Speech-Language Pathology

Are you excited by the idea of making an impact in the lives of students with learning differences? Children with a variety of learning challenges are often greatly affected in how they learn in the classroom and interact with others. Since special education teachers are meant to support this wide range of learning disabilities, their skills often extend far beyond conventional teaching methods.

To thrive in this fulfilling and impactful career, it’s important to understand what the role entails so you can provide inclusive learning environments, foster individual growth, and accommodate the diverse needs of your students. Here’s an overview of this incredibly rewarding career path, as well as the most important qualities and skills needed to be successful as a high quality special education teacher.

What Makes a Good Special Education Teacher?

Professionalism and ethical standards are essential skills to be a good special education teacher. Honesty, integrity, and fairness should guide your actions and decisions, while remaining up-to-date in this field will enable you to maintain a high level of professional competence.

Commitment to collaboration, self-awareness, reflection, and respect for diversity are additional qualities that are valued in special education teachers. These character traits are what Regis College looks for in prospective applicants to their Master’s in Teaching Special Education .

This is largely because special education teachers engage with parents and colleagues frequently to provide the best learning strategies for students that are both innovative and inclusive. “You can't do what the teacher next door does. It doesn't always work for your group of students,” says Dr. Priscilla Boerger, program director of Regis College’s Master’s in Teaching Special Education.

Want to learn more about Teaching Special Education? Download Our Free Checklist!

Top Skills Required for Special Education Teachers

While the previously mentioned qualities are essential to your success as a special education teacher, there are additional qualifications and skills that can boost your potential for landing a special education teaching job.

When preparing to become a highly qualified special education teacher , it’s important to consider the baseline skills needed to be an effective educator. According to our analysis of job postings data, here are the top skills school districts and principals want in prospective teachers and how they can enhance your performance as a special education teacher.

Top Skills for Teachers

1. teaching.

As an educator, you’ll have the rewarding opportunity to guide and inspire students in the classroom. In the case of special education, this means breaking down complex concepts, adapting instructional strategies, and providing individualized support is crucial. No matter what population of students you work with though, effective teaching ensures all students receive the knowledge and skills they need to thrive academically and personally.

2. Communications

Communication is fundamental to your success as a teacher because it’s the cornerstone to how students absorb instruction, curriculum, and guidance. All children process information in their own way, but students with learning challenges may have impairments that limit speech, hearing, vision, or social awareness. As such, developing effective communication methods enables you to convey instructions, provide feedback, and address concerns that ensure everyone is on the same page in supporting student growth.

Writing skills are indispensable for teachers since assessments and curriculum materials are often written by the instructor. Special education teachers are responsible for additional written materials, such as individualized education plans (IEPs), progress reports, and other documentation to track student development. Writing also enables you to communicate clearly with other professionals—such as psychologists or speech therapists—who collaborate on education plans.

4. Planning

On a daily basis, teachers must manage their time well and plan activities to meet learning goals. Special education teachers have additional planning responsibilities that focus on the short- and long-term goals of students with various learning challenges. While short-term planning in special education may involve more immediate activities that can help inform students’ IEPs, long-term planning is meant to anticipate potential challenges, develop assessment models, and adapt strategies to accommodate diverse learning styles.

5. Management

Teachers are responsible for maintaining a positive learning environment that promotes student engagement. “Classroom management is key because without a managed classroom, learning's not happening,” says Boerger. By implementing consistent rules, routines, and behavior management strategies, you can support students in achieving their full potential and minimize disruptions. In this way, strong management skills enable you to create a safe and nurturing space where students can focus on learning.

6. Mathematics

Math proficiency is an important skill in the classroom because teachers often work with students who require additional support in this subject. Having a solid foundation in mathematical concepts and problem-solving strategies can actually aid in designing the most beneficial instruction techniques.

7. Interpersonal communications

In addition to communication with students, teachers are also constantly communicating with fellow educators and parents. Since special education teachers frequently collaborate with students, parents, and support professionals, having strong interpersonal communication skills can greatly improve the ability to advocate for student needs.

“Communication with parents and guardians is so critical to building partnerships with the families,” Boerger explains. “Teachers can't always do it alone, so having those families work with the teachers for their child's success is going to be critical.”

8. Research

Thorough research skills are beneficial when educators encounter unfamiliar situations. Not only does research keep you informed about best practices, but it also helps you discover new interventions and evidence-based strategies. By fostering ongoing professional development through research, you can make more informed decisions that positively impact student outcomes.

9. Leadership

Leadership skills are important for empowering teachers to advocate for students, influence positive change, and collaborate well within teams. By taking initiative, demonstrating strong communication skills, and being proactive in problem-solving, you can better support the overall success of your students.

10. Problem-solving

While all teachers need to be adaptive, special education teachers have to be flexible and creative when facing a variety of challenges. Some of these problems can range from disruptive behavior to resource management. By analyzing situations, assessing student abilities, and developing creative solutions, you can adapt your teaching strategies to address student needs.

Top Skills for Special Education Teachers

While these highly valued skills for teachers are important to your success in special education, there are a number of skills that are specific to the industry.

According to our analysis of job postings data, here are the top job-specific skills employers look for in a special education teacher.

11. Special education

Special education training equips teachers with the skills to evaluate learning disabilities and provide a safe, equitable learning environment. Special education teachers need to be knowledgeable of inclusive practices, legal requirements, and strategies to support students with diverse needs.

12. Individualized education programs (IEP)

Individualized education programs outline the specific goals, accommodations, and services for students with disabilities. Gaining a better understanding of how to develop and implement IEPs allows you to effectively assess students' strengths and needs, and ensure they closely align with the IEP objectives.

13. Lesson planning

Well-structured lesson plans are a major part of creating a rewarding classroom environment that caters to different learning abilities. For special education teachers, lesson planning involves selecting appropriate resources, setting benchmarks, incorporating accommodations, and designing objective-driven activities.

“From the very beginning, students write lesson plans in our program,” says Boerger. “They actually do what's called a ‘gateway assessment,’ which is where we assess them on reviewing a lesson to see if they can find things that are missing or how to make it better.”

14. Disabilities

A comprehensive understanding of disabilities is necessary to accommodate the unique challenges faced by students with learning differences. By recognizing the strengths and limitations associated with various disabilities, you can foster a nurturing environment for all students and implement individualized learning plans.

15. Classroom management

“Classroom management is not only important, but it's the skill that we hear from our supervising practitioners in the classrooms that students lack the most,” Boerger notes. Special education teachers must establish clear expectations and boundaries while offering positive reinforcement. They have to strike a good balance between offering consideration, driving progress, and limiting disruptions—which requires a mix of patience, confidence, and experience.

16. Autism spectrum disorders

Since children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are prevalent in special education, learning to identify characteristics, needs, and interventions specific to ASD is crucial. Teachers must be prepared to manage challenging behaviors and adapt instructional techniques to communicate better with these students. As a result, knowledge of ASD empowers you to promote social and academic growth for students on the spectrum.

17. Curriculum development

Special education teachers often play a role in curriculum development, ensuring that it’s accessible and adaptable for students with disabilities. By modifying curriculum materials, differentiating instruction, and incorporating multi-sensory approaches, you can provide meaningful learning experiences, while also addressing individual student goals.

18. Working with children

Educators who are passionate about working with children will be most successful in this career. Patience, empathy, and the ability to build rapport are essential in establishing positive relationships with your students and recognizing their individual strengths and interests. Focus on being an active listener, providing emotional support, and fostering a nurturing environment, so you can create a sense of belonging and trust.

19. Behavior management

Special education teachers have to be skilled at recognizing the underlying factors behind challenging behaviors. By promoting positive reinforcement, using visual cues, and implementing structured routines, you can support students in self-regulation and social-emotional development.

20. Instructional strategies

Having a rigid outlook won’t serve you well as an educator. Classroom teachers draw from a broad toolkit of instructional strategies, which they can tailor to different students based on cognitive and physical disabilities or behavioral challenges. To make the learning experience both practical and enjoyable, special education teachers must learn to deliver information in ways that are engaging and encourage students to take an active role in their own education.

Technology Skills Teachers Need

With the evolution of technology found in today’s classrooms—and the emergence of hybrid online learning—teachers are often expected to have a number of computer/technology skills to succeed. Special education is no exception.

According to our analysis of job postings data, here are the most sought-after technology skills for special education employers.

21. Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word)

Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs improves organization, communication, and instructional delivery. Educators need tools to track student progress, analyze data, create classroom materials, present information, connect with parents and peers, and keep records. Above all, mastery of widely used tools will make it easier to get acclimated to the teaching environment and support student learning.

22. Zoom (video conferencing tool)

Zoom and other video conferencing tools have become essential for remote learning and collaboration. Learning to host video calls enables you to conduct live online classes, hold virtual meetings, and facilitate remote check-in sessions with students and families. Video conferencing also allows for seamless communication and instructional continuity when students have health issues or personal challenges keeping them out of the classroom.

23. Student information systems

Student information systems (SIS) streamline administrative record-keeping and allow smoother collaboration across different special education services. Familiarity with SIS ensures efficient data management, improved student assessments, and increased evidence-based decision-making. Teachers also need to learn how to input and retrieve data correctly in these systems so school systems can maintain accurate records.

24. Learning management systems

Learning management systems (LMS) provide a centralized platform for delivering and organizing educational content. LMS tools help special education teachers create online learning materials, track student participation, enhance accessibility, and promote independent learning. Boerger urges prospective teachers to gain exposure to learning technologies as much as possible during training. “When you do observations or volunteer work, really pay attention to the technology being used so that you can become well-versed in it.”

25. Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets continue to be go-to tools for organizing and analyzing data, which helps teachers gain valuable insights into student performance. Having an advanced knowledge of spreadsheet functions also allows you to streamline common tasks and generate reports for more efficient decision-making.

26. Google classroom

Google Classroom is a popular platform for delivering online learning and managing workflows. By leveraging the platform’s many features, teachers can facilitate real-time collaboration, distribute assignments and resources, monitor student progress, and provide timely feedback.

Become a Qualified Special Education Teacher

The impact of effective special education extends far beyond academics, as demonstrated by these top skills in the field. “Teaching special education is not for everybody, but we do need qualified teachers. There are a lot of kids who need a different way of teaching, and a different way of learning,” says Boerger.

Qualified special education teachers can help close today’s learning gap and build more inclusive environments that foster academic growth and social development. Luckily our analysis of occupation data reveals that special education teaching jobs are expected to grow at a rate of 9.5 percent from 2021 to 2031.

So if you’re interested in supporting children with unique needs, consider speaking with an admission counselor to learn more about the special education degree program at Regis College. This program can help you develop the skills needed to provide quality special education needed to reap the many benefits of becoming a special education teacher.

Related Blogs

What Do Special Education Teachers Do? Three Responsibilities

If you’re interested in providing support for children with learning challenges, here’s an overview of what a special education teacher does.

Earning a Master's in Education: A Complete Timeline

If you want to earn a master's degree in education, it's essential to understand whether or not this education will fit into your current schedule.

How To Switch Careers To Teaching: Seven Steps

Are you considering switching to a teaching career? Here are the steps you need to take to switch careers to teaching, and the benefits of doing so.

• 235 Wellesley Street, Weston MA 02493
• 781.768.7000
• © 2024
• Privacy Policy

Special Education Stats [2023 Update]

From the IDEA law’s enactment in 1975 to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, the standards for special education vary to great extents among the states. These special education stats shed some light on how many students require special education, their problems, and how much support they receive from teachers and governments.

Special Education Statistics (The Highlights)

• There are 7.2 million special needs students in the United States
• 95.2% of school-age students served under IDEA are enrolled in regular schools.
• The most prevalent disability among students in the US is a specific learning disability.

The US federal government allocated $17.1 billion for special education in 2022.

The median annual salary for special education teachers is $61,820..

• At 20.5%, New York has the most significant percentage of students with disabilities enrolled in public schools.
• 19% of American Indian students are attending special education classes.
• 1 in 10 Australian students have a disability.

1.49 million UK students need special education.

• There are 1.2 thousand special needs education schools in Japan.

Facts About Special Education

How many special needs students are there in the us.

There are 7.2 million students aged 3-21 studying under the IDEA. This makes up 15% of all public school students across the US.

For comparison purposes, there were 6.5 million students with special needs in the 2009–2010 school year, accounting for 13% of all students in the US.

95.2% of school-age students served under IDEA are enrolled in regular schools. 

In addition, 2.6% attend separate schools (private or public), and 1.6% of special ed students are enrolled in private schools. According to special ed statistics, fewer than 1% of students served under IDEA are homeschooled, schooled in hospitals, or in separate residential and correctional facilities.

Which disability Is the most prevalent among American schoolchildren?

The most prevalent disability among students aged 3 to 21 in the US is a specific learning disability. This represents a disorder in one or more basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language.

19% of special education students have a speech or language impairment. 

15% of students have at least one other health impairment, while 12% of special ed students have autism.

This is approximately a $3.1 billion increase compared to the year before and roughly $3.8 billion more than it was spent in 2020.

Special education facts reveal that the lowest-earning 10% earn less than $46,180 per annum, while the highest-earning 10% earn more than $100,040.

Special education teachers held about 476,300 jobs in 2021.

Most, or 188,200, worked in kindergartens and elementary schools, while 147,200 were employed in secondary schools.

Special education teacher jobs are expected to grow by 4% from 2021 to 2031. 

It’s expected that approximately 37,600 openings will be available for special education teachers each year, making the special education teacher a desirable career choice .

Learning Disabilities Statistics

What are the top 5 learning disabilities.

The five most common disabilities in schools are specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, other health impairments, autism, and developmental delay.

9.8% of US children have ADHD.

Usually diagnosed during childhood, ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder. According to the latest children with disability statistics, 6 million or 9.8% of kids in the US have been diagnosed with this disorder. Of these, 265,000 children are 3–5 years old, 2.4 million are 6–11-year-olds, and 3.3 million are 12–17.

Six in ten children with ADHD have at least one other disorder.

A national parent survey showed that it’s common for children with ADHD to have another mental, behavioral, and emotional disorder. For example, around half of them have a behavior problem, and about three in ten have anxiety. 

Data further shows that boys (12.9%) are more likely to get diagnosed with ADHD than girls (5.6%).

Dyspraxia is likely to affect as many as 6% of children.

The prevalence of learning disabilities, such as dyspraxia, or developmental coordination disorder (DCD), is hard to determine. However, according to the latest estimates, 6% of children are diagnosed with this condition. The data also shows that boys are four times more likely to be affected by it than girls.

One in ten Australian students have a disability.

37% of them say that they need more support, while 77% of them report having difficulties at school. 

This figure translates to 16.5% of students in the UK and signifies a meaningful decrease from 21.1% in 2010.

There are 1,171 special needs education schools in Japan.

The vast majority of these schools are local government-established facilities, while 15 of them are private schools.

The number of students with learning disabilities who spent time in regular classrooms doubled from 1989 to 2020.

The percentage of special education students in an inclusion classroom more than doubled between 1989 and 2017. In 1989, the percentage of students with special needs who spent at least 80% of their time in regular education classrooms was 31.7%. In 2020, this number rose to 66%.

Students With Disabilities Statistics

Nearly 17% of children in the us has a form of developmental delay..

The percentage of students with disabilities has been on the rise for the past two decades. In addition, according to the developmental delay prevalence data, boys are twice more likely to have a developmental delay than girls, especially in terms of ADHD, learning disabilities, and autism.

18% of students who receive special ed are male. 

In comparison, only 10% of school-age students who receive special education services under IDEA are female. 

Regarding services for specific learning disabilities, 42% of female students receive them, while the same applies to only 31% of their male counterparts. 

According to education statistics , 15% of male special ed students are receiving services for autism, while the same applies to only 6% of female students.

11.5% of students with disabilities have been diagnosed with autism.

The above figure translates to around 828,338 children and marks a significant increase since 2000, when only 1.5% of students had the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Furthermore, learning disabilities statistics indicate that boys are around five times more likely to have this disorder than girls.

What percentage of school-aged children does the federal government classify as visually impaired?

0.4% (or 25,565) of all children aged between three and 21 who receive special education have been classified as visually impaired. 

12.8% of college students reported having attention deficit disorders.

Based on a sample of 53,745 college students, it has been determined that 6,858 college students have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Moreover, 4.7% of the surveyed college students claim to have at least one learning disability.

Read more: Best Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities

75.9% of students with disabilities aged 14-21 graduated with a regular high school diploma in 2020. 

9.9% of them received an alternative certificate, while 12.6% dropped out of school. The rest left school for a variety of reasons which include reaching the maximum age, passing away, transferring to regular education, or moving. 

White students had the highest percentage of people graduating with a regular high school diploma (79%), while Black and Pacific Islander students had the lowest percentage, with 72% each.

89% of students with speech or language impairments graduate high school with regular diplomas.

Students with multiple disabilities have the lowest chance of graduating with a high school diploma since only 44% of them managed to do so. 

However, students who have intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities have the highest rates of leaving high school with an alternative certificate, with 34% and 33%, respectively.

Special Education Statistics by State

At 20.5%, new york has the largest percentage of students with disabilities enrolled in public schools..

Maine and Pennsylvania follow with 20% and 19.9%, respectively. 

On the other end of the spectrum, the percentage of students with special needs goes as low as 11.3% in Texas and Hawaii.

The number of disabled students since 2000 grew 62.5% in Nevada. 

The number of special education students by state data reveals that all but 14 states saw growth in the number of disabled students since the 2000–01 school year. 

On the other side of the spectrum, Rhode Island experienced a significant decline of 22.1% during the same period.

22 states meet IDEA requirements regarding serving 3-21-year-old students with disabilities.

North Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah will likely join these 22 since the government officially states that these three need one-year assistance to meet IDEA’s requirements fully. None of the states need an intervention.

Special Education Statistics by Race

19% of american indian students are attending special education classes. .

17% of Black students and 15% of White students aged 3-21 can say the same. On the other hand, only 8% of Asian students are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Most Asians with disabilities have Autism (27.1%)

Percentage-wise, the second and third disabilities among Asian students aged 3-21 are speech or language impairments and specific learning disabilities, with 24.2% and 18.1%, respectively.

39% of Hispanic special education students have specific learning disabilities.

The same can be said for 21% of White students, while 34.8% of Black students served under IDEA report having at least one of the specific learning disabilities.

Final Thoughts

Although the government regularly increases the allocated budget for special education, the needs of special ed students still need to be met in all 50 states. These special education stats can shed some light on the current state of the entire education system and provide input on making special education an enjoyable and productive experience.

ACHA , AIHW , BLS , BLS , BLS , CDC , CDC , CDC , Ed.gov , Gov.uk , NCES , NCES , NCES , NCES , NCES , PLOS One , Statista

18 Myths And Facts About Special Education

Written by Allyce Rucker

Modified & Updated: 12 May 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

• Social Sciences

Special education is a crucial component of our educational system, providing support and tailored instruction to students with disabilities. However, there are often misconceptions and misunderstandings surrounding the field of special education. In this article, we will debunk 18 common myths and shed light on the facts about special education.

By addressing these myths , we aim to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges and successes within the special education community. Whether you are a parent, teacher, administrator, or simply curious about special education, this article will provide you with valuable insights and accurate information. So, let’s dive in and separate fact from fiction when it comes to special education.

Key Takeaways:

• Special education is not just for severe disabilities. It helps students with diverse needs, including gifted students, and focuses on high expectations and individualized support.
• Special education promotes inclusivity and collaboration with general education, providing tailored support for students with disabilities within an inclusive educational framework.

Myth 1: Special education is only for students with severe disabilities.

Fact: Special education services cater to a wide range of students with diverse needs, including those with mild to moderate disabilities, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism, ADHD , and more.

Myth 2: Special education segregates students from the regular classroom.

Fact: Special education emphasizes inclusion and providing individualized support within the regular classroom setting whenever possible, promoting interaction and socialization with peers.

Myth 3: Special education is a separate school.

Fact: Special education can be provided in various settings, including separate classrooms, resource rooms, or through support within the general education classroom.

Myth 4: Special education is not necessary for gifted students.

Fact: Special education also addresses the unique needs of gifted and talented students, providing enrichment opportunities and tailored instructional strategies to support their advanced abilities.

Myth 5: Special education is a one-size-fits-all approach.

Fact: Special education is highly individualized, with specialized plans, interventions, and accommodations designed to meet each student’s specific needs.

Myth 6: Special education means lowering academic expectations.

Fact: Special education focuses on setting high expectations for all students, while providing the necessary support and accommodations to help them reach their full potential.

Myth 7: Special education teachers are less qualified than regular education teachers.

Fact: Special education teachers undergo specialized training and certifications to equip them with the skills and knowledge to meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities .

Myth 8: Special education is a financial burden on schools.

Fact: While special education services require additional resources, they are mandated and funded by federal and state laws to ensure that all students receive appropriate and necessary support.

Myth 9: Special education students cannot participate in extracurricular activities.

Fact: Special education students have the right to participate in extracurricular activities and should be provided with the necessary accommodations and support to facilitate their involvement.

Myth 10: Special education is only focused on academic support.

Fact: Special education encompasses a holistic approach, addressing not only academic needs but also social, emotional, and behavioral aspects to promote overall well-being.

Myth 11: Special education is a permanent label.

Fact: Special education is a flexible system that regularly monitors and reassesses students’ progress. The goal is to provide appropriate support so that students can eventually transition out of special education services if their needs change.

Myth 12: Special education is only for children.

Fact: Special education services are available for individuals of all ages, from infants and toddlers through adulthood, ensuring that individuals with disabilities continue to receive support throughout their lives.

Myth 13: Special education students are less likely to succeed in higher education or employment.

Fact: With appropriate support and accommodations, special education students can achieve academic success and go on to pursue higher education or meaningful employment, just like their peers.

Myth 14: Special education is a result of poor parenting or lack of discipline.

Fact: Special education focuses on addressing students’ specific learning needs, which are not caused by parenting or disciplinary issues. It is about providing the necessary tools and strategies to help students thrive academically and socially.

Myth 15: Special education students are limited in their career options.

Fact: Special education equips students with the skills, support, and accommodations needed to explore a wide range of career paths and succeed in their chosen fields.

Myth 16: Special education is a burden on students without disabilities.

Fact: Special education benefits all students by fostering inclusivity, empathy, and understanding of individual differences. It creates a diverse and enriched educational environment .

Myth 17: Special education is a form of “dumbing down” education.

Fact: Special education is about providing equitable opportunities, tailored instruction, and targeted supports to ensure that students with disabilities can fully access and engage in the general curriculum.

Myth 18: Special education is a separate system disconnected from general education.

Fact: Special education works collaboratively with general education to provide the necessary support and services for students with disabilities within an inclusive educational framework.

Understanding the realities of special education is crucial in promoting inclusivity, fostering positive attitudes, and ensuring equal opportunities for all students. By debunking these myths, we can create a more supportive and inclusive educational environment.

In conclusion, understanding the myths and facts about special education is crucial for creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students. By debunking these misconceptions and spreading accurate information, we can ensure that every child has equal opportunities to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.Special education plays a vital role in providing tailored instruction and support for students with diverse learning needs. It is important to recognize that special education is not a one-size-fits-all approach but rather a personalized approach that takes into account the unique strengths and challenges of each student.By addressing the myths surrounding special education, we can break down barriers, promote inclusion, and foster a society that celebrates diversity and empowers every individual to reach their full potential.

Q: Is special education only for students with intellectual disabilities?

A: No, special education is designed to support students with a wide range of disabilities including learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism, and physical disabilities.

Q: Are all special education students taught separately from their peers?

A: Not necessarily. Inclusive education is an important approach in special education where students with disabilities are included in general education classrooms with appropriate supports and accommodations.

Q: Is special education placement permanent?

A: Special education placement is determined through an individualized assessment and can be reviewed and adjusted based on the progress and needs of the student. It is not necessarily a lifelong placement.

Q: Do special education students have lower academic expectations?

A: Absolutely not. Special education is designed to provide appropriate supports and accommodations to help students meet their academic goals. The expectations for special education students are individualized and based on their unique abilities and potential.

Q: Are parents involved in the special education process?

A: Yes, parents play a crucial role in the special education process. They are involved in the assessment, development of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and ongoing collaboration with teachers and professionals to ensure their child’s needs are met.

Was this page helpful?

Our commitment to delivering trustworthy and engaging content is at the heart of what we do. Each fact on our site is contributed by real users like you, bringing a wealth of diverse insights and information. To ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability, our dedicated editors meticulously review each submission. This process guarantees that the facts we share are not only fascinating but also credible. Trust in our commitment to quality and authenticity as you explore and learn with us.

Share this Fact:

Why there's a special education and STEM teacher shortage and what can be done

Experts say obstacles include recruitment, funding and institutional support.

Jahsha Tabron, the 2022 Delaware teacher of the year, taught special education for more than two decades and cherished what she called the "winning moments" of growth in her students.

"[Where] you have a nonverbal student who is now able to speak in simple sentences … that's why you stay," she recently told ABC News.

But Tabron, now Brandywine High School's dean of students in Wilmington, Delaware, said her field can be a tough sell for future candidates.

"When we're talking about why we don't have a lot of people joining the profession, we're looking at the immense workload that comes along with being a special education teacher," she said.

MORE: Most of the US is dealing with a teaching shortage, but the data isn't so simple

Tabron's concern about a staffing shortage is widely shared. A nationwide survey conducted by ABC News this school year found that much of the country doesn't have enough educators -- and that in many cases, districts suffer from a lack of subject matter experts, too.

Two parts of the subject matter pool are particularly strained, according to local education officials: special education and science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.

Teachers and experts who spoke with ABC News cited the need for more money for students with disabilities and those who educate them; inadequate diversity in STEM; and underwhelming pipeline and recruiting efforts, particularly in more rural districts and for teachers of color, as major obstacles.

Special education has always been one of the most underfunded yet vital teaching positions in public schools, the experts said -- pointing to a perpetual desire for more financial support, either at the local or federal level, to help instructors doing such specialized work.

The experts said that STEM teachers are overwhelmingly white -- according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 79% are non-Hispanic or white -- even in public schools that are majority non-white, so they do not adequately reflect the students they teach, which creates an added pressure on bringing in more candidates. There's also a focus on increasing diversity in special education instruction.

By the numbers

For a recent report on teacher staffing across the country, ABC News reached out by phone and email to the overarching education departments in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

At least 40 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- 42 out of 53 surveyed -- reported ongoing teaching shortages.

According to an updated analysis, conducted this spring, the most acute shortages are in special education and STEM teachers.

Those findings are reinforced by research from NCES' School Pulse Panel, which started collecting information during the summer of 2021 to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and educators.

The monthly NCES survey found 78% of K-12 public school principals reported that it was somewhat or very "difficult" to fill a position with a fully certified teacher for special education at the beginning of the current school year. About three-fourths of public schools also reported it was somewhat or very difficult to staff physical science (78%) and mathematics (75%) teachers.

ABC News' reporting found that 31 state education associations, agencies and departments identified special education challenges as one of their greatest needs during the 2022-2023 school year.

MORE: How schools are trying to address the national teacher shortage

What's more, over the course of the school year, almost a third of the country -- or 17 state education agencies -- also told ABC News one of their greatest challenges has been filling teaching positions in STEM.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a speech last year that collaboration is the key to raising the bar for education across America. He also spoke of teacher shortages in bilingual education, special education and STEM -- saying they impact low-income and students of color the most.

'We have a real problem'

The federal government's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recognizes that many states are facing staffing challenges and is committed to trying to fix the system as a whole, according to OSEP Director Valerie Williams.

"There's data to support that we have a real problem," Williams told ABC News. "Going forward, we're going to aim to focus not just on increasing the numbers but also on diversification of the profession and finding ways for how we can get people from minority backgrounds interested in becoming teachers and get them into the pipeline."

President Joe Biden's 2024 budget proposal -- which has been criticized by conservatives for, they say, reducing economic growth by bloating the government -- is touted by supporters as addressing the gap in special education teachers, "investing $304 million to train and retain [them], specialized instructional support personnel, and paraprofessionals," according to a Department of Education spokesperson.

A recent House Republican proposal to reduce federal government spending has been criticized, too, though conservatives have pushed back on claims it would cut school funding -- calling that made up.

Tabron, in Delaware, said special education is one of the most challenging positions in a school as it not only has general instruction responsibilities but also juggles needs and disciplines that most teachers don't face.

"It's not regular teaching," she said. "You have special ed teachers who are doing the regular part of teaching, which is the planning instruction, the differentiation, the accommodations and modifications. But in addition to just that part of your job as a special education teacher, you are also responsible for creating individualized education plans (IEP) for all of your students."

She described special education teachers as akin to scientists, because they're required to know how their students' brains work.

During the onset of COVID-19, many teachers' workloads were exacerbated by school closures and remote teaching, Tabron said. Now, she said, those who have stayed are working with the same amount of pre-pandemic resources -- but their role has expanded to account for a recent increase in students who see the value of IEPs and special services.

Popular Reads

Teen graduates with doctoral degree

• May 14, 12:07 PM

Boat seized in fatal hit-and-run: FWC

• 3 hours ago

10-month-old baby has been found: Officials

• May 6, 7:21 PM

"There was a need for special education teachers before the pandemic," Tabron said. "The need just increased afterwards."

'Our country really needs to step it up'

Connecticut science teacher Carolyn Kielma is raising awareness around the challenges in STEM staffing, too. The self-described "STEMinist" said all it takes is for people to have a drive and passion for teaching.

"Our country really needs to step it up in those careers if we're going to have productive citizens in the future," the 2023 National Teacher of the Year finalist said. "All students are gifted and all students have special needs. It's our job to figure out what those gifts are and what those needs are and marry them into the best lesson plan."

Experts, though, have told ABC News the STEM shortage is a "crisis." They said not only is the field missing teachers but there's also a dearth of aspiring applicants.

"We don't have enough people [in general] going into STEM careers, and so the downstream effect of that is we don't have enough STEM teachers," said Arthur Mitchell, executive director of the STEM Equity Alliance.

Education advocates told ABC News that college graduates with education degrees have been declining for years. The University of California at Los Angeles' Cooperative Institutional Research Program found only 4.3% of U.S. college freshmen intended to major in education in 2018, compared to 11% in 2000.

Mitchell said the absence of young teachers is hurting STEM teaching categories. However, he believes there's a "neglect" problem in higher education and that institutions have to fully commit to recruitment and outreach.

"We're looking for those who have an interest in STEM education and nurturing that," said Mitchell, whose STEM Equity Alliance serves as a pipeline for teacher education. "And, by and large, there have been no concerted efforts -- national concerted efforts -- and very few statewide or local efforts to really put more STEM teachers in classrooms."

Another problem? Rural areas are underserved

Upon graduation many teachers are hesitant to explore rural parts of the U.S., according to education officials around the country.

Colorado's state education talent unit said that geographical barriers are straining their most rural, and already struggling, districts.

"Math and special education shortages can affect rural areas more acutely," Colorado's Associate Commissioner of Educator Talent Colleen O'Neil told ABC News in a statement. "[Rural parts] sometimes have no candidates at all that apply for a position," she added.

Along the Pacific coast, Siskiyou County's Allan Carver said his district also faces these roadblocks because it is in the "sticks" of Northern California.

"There's not a lot of people who want to live way out here where there's no Walmart and those sorts of things," said Carver, the Siskiyou Office of Education superintendent.

Working with a limited pool is something Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative Director Karen Eoff understands as well as Carver.

According to the state's department of education, Arkansas faces its worst staffing shortages in secondary math and secondary science. But from elementary education on up, Eoff said all subjects in the rural parts of her state are impacted.

"Keeping and attracting young people to this area is a problem -- we have the largest teacher shortage in Arkansas," Eoff, who oversees 15 school districts, told ABC News.

More -- and more diverse -- pipeline programs needed

Experts interviewed for this story suggested pipeline programs could be the key to preparing teachers to enter the field in the years to come.

Reach University, a job-embedded teacher apprenticeship program, has been one solution for places like rural Arkansas and California, which are far from their state's largest institutions for training future educators.

In both Southeast Arkansas and in Siskiyou County in California, Reach University said it did an extensive analysis to define current vacancies by grade level and subject, across all open positions. In Siskiyou, they found slightly elevated vacancies in elementary education and math. Special education is "always" a constant need in his district, according to Carver.

"We've got to figure out how to take people who are already happy being in schools and help them become our teachers," Carver said. "The Reach model, with the apprenticeship, was just a home run for us."

Eoff's office has used Reach since the beginning of the current school year to stem its shortages. Now, she said, it has 20 paraprofessional staffers in an apprenticeship.

"Reach has been one of our best tools because of the support, affordability, the 'come alongside and we will help you' approach," Eoff said.

In response to former President Barack Obama's 2011 call to increase the STEM teacher pool by 100,000 in a decade, education nonprofit Beyond100K used "radical collaboration" with more than 300 organizations to exceed that benchmark. The group said it helped prepare 108,000 STEM teachers -- and counting -- with a new target of 150,000 by 2032.

Part of Beyond100K's focus, according to its 2022 trends report, is to add more teachers of color to reflect the students in their classrooms, especially Black, Latino and Native American teachers.

​"The work that we are doing now is very focused on racial equity and on creating belonging for teachers and for students," Amber Hamilton, Beyond100K's chief external officer, said.

Eoff, in Arkansas, stressed how instilling that sense of belonging into students of all ages and backgrounds will hopefully guide more candidates to the field.

"I think that the earlier we encourage kids to believe they can, in STEM programs, the better," she said.

Meanwhile, as responsibilities from the pandemic grow, STEM and special education professionals agree the shortages will persist if more isn't done to help them win.

"I think that would be awesome to ask teachers what they really need," Tabron said. "Imagine someone asking you: What would make you happier here? What can I do to support you? Just you listening to that -- I think would change my performance."

ABC News' Gabe Ferris contributed to this report.

New portrait of King Charles draws mixed reactions

• May 14, 1:51 PM

Air Force pilot dies after ejection seat goes off

• May 15, 2:16 AM

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Why children with disabilities are missing school and losing skills

Cory Turner

On a recent school day in Del Norte County, Calif., in one of the state's northernmost school districts, 17-year-old Emma Lenover sits at home on the couch.

In some ways, Emma is a typical teen. She loves Disneyland and dance class. But she has already faced more adversity than some classmates will in a lifetime.

"All of October and all of November, there was no school because there was no aide" says Emma's mother, Melony Lenover, leaning her elbows into the kitchen table.

Students with disabilities are missing school because of staff shortages

Emma has multiple health conditions, including cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair, a feeding tube and is nonverbal. To communicate, she uses a special device, like an iPad, that speaks a word or phrase when she presses the corresponding button. She is also immunocompromised and has mostly done school from home this year, over Zoom, with help from an aide in the classroom. At least, that's what was supposed to happen.

Melony Lenover says her daughter's special education plan with the district guarantees her a dedicated, one-on-one aide. But the district is in the throes of a special education staffing crisis. In the fall, without an aide, Emma had to stop school. As a result, she missed out on the dance and art classes she loves and regressed on her communication device.

The fact that a district could struggle so mightily with special education staffing that students are missing school – that's not just a Del Norte problem. A recent federal survey of school districts across the U.S. found special education jobs were among the hardest to staff – and vacancies were widespread. But what's happening in Del Norte is extreme. Which is why the Lenovers and five other families are suing the school district , as well as state education leadership, with help from the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund.

Shots - Health News

'i'm not safe here': schools ignore federal rules on restraint and seclusion.

The California Department of Education says it cannot comment on pending litigation.

"It's very, very, very, very difficult when we are trying to bring people on board, trying to provide these services, when we want the best that we can give – cause that's our job – and we can't," says Del Norte Superintendent Jeff Harris. Harris says he cannot comment on the lawsuit, but acknowledges the staffing crisis in Del Norte is very real.

Emma Lenover, left, works through a literacy lesson at home with special education teacher Sarah Elston. Emma loves these visits and, on this day, waited anxiously at the picture window for Elston to arrive. Cory Turner/NPR hide caption

Emma Lenover, left, works through a literacy lesson at home with special education teacher Sarah Elston. Emma loves these visits and, on this day, waited anxiously at the picture window for Elston to arrive.

In December, after the lawsuit was filed, district special educator Sarah Elston told the local Wild Rivers Outpost : "Just a few days ago I had two or three [aides] call out sick, they weren't coming to work, and so this starts my morning at 5:30 having to figure out who's going to be with this student... It is constant crisis management that we do in special education today."

Del Norte's isolation makes it more difficult to hire needed staff

The district sits hidden away like a secret between Oregon, the frigid Pacific and some of the largest redwood trees in the world. It's too isolated and the pay is not competitive enough, Harris says, to attract workers from outside Del Norte. Locally, these aides – like the one Emma requires – earn about as much as they would working at McDonald's.

Students with disabilities have a right to qualified teachers — but there's a shortage

Harris has even tried hiring contractors from Oregon. But "it's a two-hour drive from southern Oregon here," Harris says, "so four hours of the paid contract time was not even serving students."

The district's hiring process is also too burdensome, according to Harris, taking weeks to fill a job. Hoping to change that, the district declared a special education staffing state of emergency earlier this school year, but the problem remains.

In April, the district still had more than 40 special education job openings posted.

Melony Lenover says she knows supporting Emma can be challenging. But decades ago, Congress made clear, through the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act , that her daughter is legally entitled to that support.

The federal government said it would cover 40% of the cost of providing special education services, but it has never come close to fulfilling that promise. In 2023, the National Association of Elementary School Principals said , "Since the law was enacted, the closest the federal government has come to reaching the 40 percent commitment was 18 percent in 2004-2006, and current funding is at less than 13 percent."

All this leaves Melony Lenover chafing at what she considers a double standard for children with disabilities.

"If it'd been one of my typically-functioning kids who are not in school for two months, [the school district] would be coming after me," Lenover says.

In many places, a child who has missed about 18 school days – far less than Emma – is considered chronically absent. It's a crisis that triggers a range of emergency interventions. Lenover says Emma's absences weren't treated with nearly the same urgency.

While Emma Lenover still doesn't have a dedicated aide, she is finally getting help.

"We said as a team, enough is enough," says Sarah Elston, who is Emma's special education teacher. "We're gonna do whatever it takes to get this girl an education."

Elston has been working with her high school principal to patch together as much help as they can for Emma, including shifting a classroom aide to help Emma participate in one of her favorite classes remotely, dance.

How the staffing shortage can become dangerous

Linda Vang is another plaintiff in the Del Norte lawsuit, alongside Emma Lenover's parents. On a recent Thursday, she sits at her kitchen table, her back to a refrigerator covered with family photos. She grips her phone hard, like a lifeline, watching old videos of her son, Shawn.

Schools are struggling to hire special education teachers. Hawaii may have found a fix

The cell phone videos show a young boy with a broad smile, being urged by his mother to pull up his socks. Or being taught by his doting sister to ride a scooter. Or dressed up for what appears to be a wedding, and doing the chicken dance. He is a joyful kid.

Much has changed since then.

Shawn is a pseudonym, chosen by Vang and his attorneys in the lawsuit. We're not using his real name because Shawn is a minor and his mother asked us to protect his identity.

To understand Shawn's role in the lawsuit – and the depths of Del Norte's staffing crisis – you have to understand what happened to him on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

He was 15 at the time. Shawn has autism and is nonverbal, and as part of his special education plan, he gets his own, dedicated aide at school. But again, because of Del Norte's struggles to hire enough special education staff, those aides are often in short supply and undertrained.

Shawn's lead teacher that day, Brittany Wyckoff, says, when he grew frustrated in class, his fill-in aide did not follow procedure. It was snack time, but "this staff said, 'No, you're not being calm' and pulled [the snack] away. So that wasn't the appropriate way to handle it."

Another staff member later told police Shawn had begun to calm down, but the aide still wouldn't give him the snack – pistachios. Instead, Wyckoff says, the aide used a firm tone and continued telling Shawn to calm down. Shawn got more agitated, hitting himself in the face.

The aide later told police he began to worry Shawn might try to bite him – because Shawn had bitten other staff before. Witnesses told police he warned Shawn, "You will not bite me. You will not bite me."

Wyckoff says standard procedure, when a student gets agitated and potentially violent, is to move classroom furniture – a table, a desk – between your body and the student. Instead, Wyckoff says, this aide moved furniture out of the way. When Shawn moved toward the aide, unobstructed, the aide raised his hands.

"The staff member just instantly reached out and choked [Shawn]," Wyckoff remembers. "And full-on, like one hand over the other hand choke."

Multiple staff told police, Shawn had not tried to bite the aide. Wyckoff says she was yelling at the aide to stop and finally pulled him off of Shawn, "who was turning purple."

How the incident led to missed school

The aide left school after choking Shawn and went to a local bar for a beer, according to the police report. He later told police he'd acted in self-defense. When he was arrested, for child endangerment, and asked why he hadn't called police himself, the aide said, because he'd been in many similar situations and didn't think this rose to that level.

The district attorney ultimately chose not to file charges.

Emma, left, works with her sister, Kelsey Mercer, to join one of her favorite school classes, dance, from home. Cory Turner/NPR hide caption

Emma, left, works with her sister, Kelsey Mercer, to join one of her favorite school classes, dance, from home.

Linda Vang says the incident changed Shawn. He became less trusting and was scared to return to the classroom. "It is the hardest thing in my life to watch my son go through this."

To make matters worse, after the incident, the school couldn't provide Shawn with a new aide, and, like Emma Lenover, he couldn't do school without one. After the encounter, he was forced to miss two months of school – because of the staffing crisis.

"It was just week after week, them telling us, 'There's no staff. There's no staff,' " Vang remembers. "I feel for him. I'm angry for him. I'm upset for him. It's hard."

Again, Superintendent Jeff Harris can't comment on the specifics of the lawsuit, or on the incident involving Shawn, but he defends the district.

"We don't come in everyday going, 'How can we mess with people's lives?' We come in every day going, 'What can we do today to make this work?' "

Shawn, like Emma, lost skills during his time away from school. His mother says he struggled more to control his behavior and was less willing to use his communication device.

Shawn is back at school and finally improving, Vang says. He even likes the aide he has now.

"It has been very hard the last year. But you know, we're getting there. You know, I'm doing my best, every single day."

With inadequate staff, students can lose vital skills

Wyckoff, Shawn's former teacher, says the staff shortage is so acute that some aides are being hired with little to no special education experience.

"They could know absolutely nothing about working with a student with special needs," Wyckoff says, "and [the district] is like 'Hey, you've gotta work with the most intensively behaviorally challenging student. Good luck!'"

After Months Of Special Education Turmoil, Families Say Schools Owe Them

Wyckoff says the staff the district is able to hire need more and better training, too. The stakes are just too high.

Superintendent Harris says the district does provide staff training, but he also has to balance that with the need to get staff into classrooms quickly.

Veteran special education staff in Del Norte tell NPR they've seen what happens when students with disabilities don't get consistent, quality support: They lose skills.

"One particular student, he was doing well," says Emily Caldwell, a speech-language pathologist in the district. "We were talking about removing his communication device from coming to school because he's communicating verbally."

Caldwell works with many students who, like Shawn and Emma, use a communication device. This student, though, had been learning to use his own voice. It was a big deal, Caldwell says. But the student began losing those skills as he was shuffled between inexperienced staff.

Emma, right, communicates with her sisters Ashley Lenover, left, and Kelsey Mercer using body language and a special tablet device. Cory Turner/NPR hide caption

Emma, right, communicates with her sisters Ashley Lenover, left, and Kelsey Mercer using body language and a special tablet device.

Now, "he's not communicating verbally at school anymore, he's only using his device and only when prompted," Caldwell says.

"I have a student whose toileting skills have regressed," says Sarah Elston, Emma's teacher. "I have more than one student who have lost skills on their [communication] device, that is their only way of communicating with the world."

This sense of loss, Elston says, keeps her up at night.

Superintendent Jeff Harris acknowledges the effects of the staffing crisis have been painful.

"When you have a child who can't do something that they were able to do before because they don't have that consistency, that's hard. I mean, that's a knife to the heart."

Looking forward

The lawsuit against the Del Norte Unified School District and state education officials is ongoing. The families hope it will not only help their children, but also raise awareness around a crisis they know is larger than themselves – and larger than Del Norte.

In the meantime, Del Norte teachers are doing everything they can to support their students with disabilities.

Elston, Wyckoff and Caldwell all say they have raised alarms with the district around students not getting the support they're entitled to – and even being mistreated by untrained or inexperienced staff.

Caldwell says some veteran staff have quit out of frustration. Though she insists, she's staying.

"I just worry," Caldwell says, tearing up. "The kids I work with, most of them don't communicate effectively without support. And so they can't go home and be like, 'Hey, Mom, so-and-so held me in a chair today.' And so I feel like, if I wasn't there and if I wasn't being that voice and that advocate, who would be?"

Digital story edited by: Nicole Cohen Audio stories produced by: Lauren Migaki Audio stories edited by: Nicole Cohen and Steve Drummond Visual design and development by: LA Johnson

Retention Is the Missing Ingredient in Special Education Staffing

• Share article

Special education staffing strategies often focus on recruiting and training new teachers in the specialty, but those efforts alone aren’t enough to address shortages in the high-demand field.

Education labor economists say it’s equally important to address leaks in the educator pipeline—stressful working conditions and a lack of resources that cause many special education teachers to retreat to general education positions in the middle of their careers.

Special education teachers often teach multiple subjects across multiple grade levels, manage loads of paperwork to track individual student’s progress, and regularly communicate with families.

That’s why states and districts have adopted workforce strategies that target the stress points special educators face: incentive payments to motivate them to stay in the specialty, professional development practices to help them feel less isolated in their school communities, and approaches to teacher preparation designed with retention in mind.

Addressing the factors that strain special education teacher morale can feel like an uphill battle for district leaders, who face systemic challenges like gaps in state and federal funding to support their programs, said Elizabeth Bettini, an associate professor of special education at Boston University who studies educators’ workplace perceptions.

“Special education teachers are tasked with particularly challenging responsibilities— and that’s not because of the kids,” said Bettini, who previously worked as a K-12 special education teacher. “What’s frustrating educators is feeling like they are not serving [students] well, feeling like they don’t have the time, materials, and support to meet the needs of kids.”

District leaders say maintaining a pool of talented special education teachers is one of the biggest challenges they face.

A churn of teachers moving in and out of special education roles and positions left unfilled because of a lack of candidates or funding are consistent concerns. And economists believe the need for additional special education teachers will remain, even as many school systems brace for broader staff layoffs following declines in overall student enrollment. Reducing teacher shortages is urgent, especially as the number of students who qualify for special education services —about 15 percent of public school students—continues to grow.

Federal data show that 21 percent of public schools were not fully staffed in special education at the start of the 2023-24 school year, higher levels of reported shortages than any other teaching specialty. And about 8 percent of teachers who work with children who qualify for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are not fully certified .

States, districts experiment with extra pay for special education teachers

Research suggests that districts looking for special education teaching candidates might want to start with their general education workforce.

In Washington state, for example, researchers who analyzed 10 years of state data collected from 2009 to 2019 found that new teacher-candidates who were dual-certified in special education and another subject were more likely to take jobs in general education classrooms than their peers who were only certified in special education.

The study, published in the 2021 issue of the journal Exceptional Children, also found that dual-certified teachers were less likely to remain in special education placements than their peers. In every year of the analysis, the number of certified special education teachers in Washington state exceeded the number of teachers actually working in special education positions by more than 50 percent, researchers found.

“It’s a solution to special education teacher shortages that’s hiding in plain sight,” said Roddy Theobold, the deputy director of the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, who co-authored the study.

Theobold and his colleagues see the potential for success in one strategy: higher pay for special education teachers to match their more complex workload.

Incentive programs and differentiated pay by specialty remain rare because they are sometimes rejected by labor unions or viewed as politically unpalatable. The National Council on Teacher Quality has found districts’ financial incentives for special education teachers are most often one-time hiring bonuses, but some have experimented with ongoing pay boosts by advancing teachers in hard-to-staff areas a few steps higher on the salary schedule.

The Detroit district began offering an ongoing $15,000 bonus for special education teachers in 2022, which it has credited with reducing a long-standing need for special education teachers.

In 2020, Hawaii’s statewide school district raised its $50,000 base salary by $10,000 through a bonus program for special education teachers, offering further incentives for those who take positions in schools classified as hard to staff. Within a year, the school system saw a 16 percent increase in licensed special education teachers, and the number of unfilled special education vacancies dropped from 122 to 69, state data showed.

Studying Hawaii’s 2022 data, Theobold and fellow researchers found that, while special education vacancies continued to increase alongside teacher vacancies in general, they made up a lower proportion of overall unfilled teaching positions. The change could largely be attributed to teachers who were motivated by the incentive to shift from general education classrooms to special education placements, not by increased retention of existing special education teachers, the researchers found.

“It’s really less about keeping special education teachers than getting people who weren’t in special education to move into special education positions,” Theobold said of the Hawaii research. “That’s why you see this big shrinking of the gap in terms of vacancies and unqualified teachers between special education and other subjects.”

And that dynamic could be helpful as districts consider layoffs in light of budget cuts and declining enrollment, he said. Larger conversations about general teacher shortages have glossed over more pronounced and enduring shortages of special education teachers, Theobold said. In that case of broader staff layoffs, districts would benefit from encouraging qualified, certified teachers to move into harder-to-staff subjects, he said.

More data are needed to determine how Hawaii’s incentive pay will affect the likelihood that new teacher-candidates take special education positions, he said. The research also spanned a unique time, the pandemic, in a unique place, an island school system where teachers can’t easily transfer to other districts, which means results may vary in different conditions.

Understanding special education teachers’ stressors

School and district leaders should also help retain special education teachers by addressing the systemic conditions that cause them to burn out in the first place —or at least acknowledging their frustrations, said Bettini, the Boston University professor.

“Generally, school is not oriented around students with disabilities,” she said. “It’s not oriented to meet their needs; therefore, it’s not oriented around the needs of the teachers who are serving them. That leaves them kind of back ending a lot of services and supports.”

In her time as a K-12 teacher and as a researcher, Bettini has heard from special education teachers whose planning time isn’t included in the schedule, who are left out of conversations about purchasing and curriculum, and who have to rush to formulate a plan B when assessments and classroom technology are not accessible to students with disabilities.

Special education teachers’ workloads are far more varied than their peers’, they must navigate the challenges of team teaching, and they are often led by principals who have no background in special education, Bettini said.

“That’s why I left,” she said. “I just felt like I couldn’t meet all of my students’ needs with the resources and support that I had, no matter how hard I worked.”

School and district leaders can help address these concerns by seeking targeted feedback from special education teachers, whose struggles are often masked by the aggregate results of general staff surveys.

More targeted surveys and feedback sessions can help gauge whether special education teachers have adequate planning time, whether they feel empowered to partner with general classroom teachers, and whether they face burdensome bureaucratic processes that add further stress to their days, Bettini said. The results of that feedback should be included in the district’s continuous improvement work, she said.

Districts should also offer principals professional development in supporting special education teachers and inclusion for students with disabilities, she said.

Preparing teachers with an eye toward retention

Supporters hope fast-growing teacher-preparation strategies like “grow your own” programs and apprenticeships will help improve special education teacher retention by providing more on-the-job training before they step into their first certified position.

Through those nontraditional certification programs, districts train teacher-candidates under supervision of certified teachers while they work full time in positions like paraprofessionals, student-teachers, or long-term substitutes. Cooperating colleges and universities, which oversee the programs, offer the candidates expedited coursework, often online, to allow them to complete a teaching degree while remaining in their communities.

The Biden administration has urged states to have their grow-your-own programs classified as approved apprenticeships , which opens up access to targeted federal funding for on-the-job training. Thirty states now have federally approved programs.

One factor that helps with retention: Many of the candidates who are attracted to on-the-job certification programs are special education paraprofessionals who want to work as teachers in their current districts, said Amy Jacobson, the director of the Special Education Resident Teacher Program at the University of North Dakota.

“They are already vetted by their school districts and they already have interest and a passion to work in special education,” she said.

North Dakota launched its program in 1997, first partnering with the Grand Forks school district after a massive flood caused widespread devastation and destabilized the community. The program, which has since expanded statewide, allows people with a bachelor’s degree to complete a master’s in special education while working with a mentor in a partner district as well as a mentor at the university to learn the ropes.

To address an urgent need for special education teachers, organizers recently reduced the program from two years to one, and they created an accelerated general studies program to allow paraprofessionals, who may not have four-year degrees, to sign on.

“They are really mentored and coached,” Jacobson said. “That only helps as far as retention goes. They feel superprepared by the time they get that full-time teaching job.”

The program also attracts traditional undergraduate students in fields like physical therapy who decide to go into teaching as a way to help people, she said.

“That passion, that love, and that drive to work with kids who may learn differently or behave differently,” she said, “that makes staying in the field easier.”

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In