Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

Education and TrainingO*NET 25-2056.00United States

Teach academic, social, and life skills to elementary school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $65,082
Projected change: +2.4%
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Employment: 251.31K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What special education teachers, elementary school do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Instruct students with disabilities in academic subjects, using a variety of techniques, such as phonetics, multisensory learning, or repetition to reinforce learning and meet students' varying needs.
Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
Modify the general elementary education curriculum for students with disabilities.
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.
Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, or social development.
Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
Encourage students to explore learning opportunities or persevere with challenging tasks to prepare them for later grades.
Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Meet with parents or guardians to discuss their children's progress, advise them on using community resources, or teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.
Monitor teachers or teacher assistants to ensure adherence to special education program requirements.
Establish and communicate clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects to students.
Teach students personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, or self-advocacy.
Guide or counsel students with adjustment problems, academic problems, or special academic interests.
Plan or conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or school or state requirements.
Collaborate with other teachers or administrators to develop, evaluate, or revise elementary school programs.
Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, or food preparation.
Confer with other staff members to plan or schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage.
Prepare, administer, or grade tests or assignments to evaluate students' progress.
Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, or teacher training workshops to maintain or improve professional competence.
Organize and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their perceptual skills.
Interpret the results of standardized tests to determine students' strengths and areas of need.
Organize and supervise games or other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, or social development.
Administer standardized ability and achievement tests to elementary students with special needs.
Plan or supervise experiential learning activities, such as class projects, field trips, demonstrations, or visits by guest speakers.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $49,268
25th percentile: $59,623
50th percentile: $65,082
75th percentile: $80,310
90th percentile: $103,167

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $65,082 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+2.4%average or slower

2025251,311 jobs

2035 projected257,378 jobs

6,067 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree: 51.6%
Master's or Professional degree: 37.8%
High school diploma or less: 10.3%
Associate degree: 0.3%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Special Education
Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
Disabilities
Lesson Planning
Classroom Management
Curriculum Development
Learning Styles
Instructional Strategies
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Differentiated Instruction
Student Engagement
Educational Assessment
Behavior Management
Individualized Instruction
Parent Communication
Effective Communication
Data Collection
Behavior Intervention
Progress Monitoring
Learning Disabilities

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Elementary Special Education Teachers2,481 postings
02Elementary School Teachers147 postings
03Self-Contained Special Education Teachers87 postings
04Special Education Life Skills Teachers87 postings
05Mild/Moderate Special Education Teachers69 postings
06Special Education Teachers66 postings
07Elementary/Middle School Teachers65 postings
08Special Education Resource Teachers63 postings
09Special Education Inclusion Teachers62 postings
10High School Special Education Teachers54 postings
11Elementary Classroom Teachers52 postings
12Special Education Autism Teachers50 postings
13Inclusion Teachers49 postings
14Long Term Substitute Special Education Teachers49 postings
15Early Childhood Special Educators41 postings
16Long Term Substitute Elementary Teachers37 postings
17School Special Education Teachers36 postings
18Elementary Teachers35 postings
19Middle School Special Education Teachers31 postings
20Learning Behavior Specialists29 postings

Top employers

01Edjoin.Org192 postings
02Soliant Health177 postings
03Amergis135 postings
04Blazerjobs83 postings
05Ombudsman Educational Services76 postings
06Boston Public Schools60 postings
07ProCare Therapy51 postings
08Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District47 postings
09Hawaii State Department Of Education34 postings
10Minneapolis Public Schools34 postings
11Chancelight Behavioral Health, Therapy And Education29 postings
12Fayette County Public Schools28 postings
13Stride K1226 postings
14Christina School District22 postings
15North Kansas City Schools22 postings
16Poudre School District22 postings
17Leander Independent School District19 postings
18Springfield Public Schools, MA19 postings
19Appleton Area School District18 postings
20Memphis-Shelby County Schools17 postings

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