Careers · Explore one path
Special Education Teachers, Middle School
Teach academic, social, and life skills to middle 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.
Other titles employers use
Exceptional Children Teacher (EC Teacher) · Exceptional Student Education Teacher (ESE Teacher) · Inclusion Teacher · Intervention Specialist · Learning Disabilities Teacher (LD Teacher) · Learning Support Teacher · Middle School Special Education Teacher (MS SPED Teacher) · Self-Contained Special Education Teacher (Self-Contained SPED Teacher)
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to helping, creative and analytical work.
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Social Perceptiveness
- Instructing
Subjects to know
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- Administrative
- Customer and Personal Service
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 4.5 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 3.6 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.6 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.0 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a bachelor's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A four-year degree 82%
- A master's degree 18%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Operating system software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Document management software
- Word processing software
- Computer based training software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 8,550
- Job openings each year
- 100
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 12.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 8,550 | 100 | 12.8% |
| Texas | 8,230 | 610 | 11.4% |
| New Jersey | 7,970 | 550 | 3.4% |
| California | 7,400 | 510 | 2.8% |
| Ohio | 5,550 | 370 | — |
| Georgia | 4,180 | 300 | 8.9% |
| Maryland | 3,670 | 270 | 9.6% |
| Illinois | 3,340 | 230 | 1.8% |
| Virginia | 2,860 | 190 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 2,850 | 190 | — |
| Colorado | 2,690 | 200 | 15.0% |
| North Carolina | 2,570 | 180 | 6.6% |
| Minnesota | 2,090 | 140 | 3.0% |
| Florida | 2,000 | 150 | 11.7% |
| Wisconsin | 1,870 | 130 | 3.9% |
| Washington | 1,680 | 140 | 12.0% |
| Kentucky | 1,580 | 110 | — |
| Iowa | 1,550 | 110 | 6.2% |
| Louisiana | 1,360 | 90 | 3.0% |
| Tennessee | 1,290 | 100 | 14.2% |
| Indiana | 1,030 | 70 | 1.0% |
| Connecticut | 1,020 | 70 | 5.2% |
| Mississippi | 1,020 | 70 | 3.0% |
| Arkansas | 910 | 60 | 1.1% |
| Nebraska | 910 | 60 | 3.4% |
| Missouri | 890 | 60 | 2.3% |
| Massachusetts | 800 | 60 | 9.6% |
| Arizona | 760 | 50 | 1.3% |
| Utah | 750 | 60 | 17.2% |
| Michigan | 700 | 50 | — |
| South Carolina | 700 | 50 | 7.7% |
| Maine | 580 | 40 | — |
| New Hampshire | 580 | 40 | — |
| Oregon | 560 | 40 | 1.8% |
| Oklahoma | 520 | 40 | 4.0% |
| Nevada | 510 | 40 | 4.1% |
| Kansas | 490 | 30 | 2.1% |
| New Mexico | 470 | 30 | 4.4% |
| Vermont | 450 | 30 | 4.7% |
| Montana | 380 | 30 | 2.7% |
| District of Columbia | 370 | 30 | 5.7% |
| Rhode Island | 330 | 20 | — |
| West Virginia | 330 | 20 | 3.1% |
| South Dakota | 310 | 20 | 6.9% |
| Wyoming | 300 | 20 | 11.1% |
| North Dakota | 240 | 20 | 4.3% |
| Idaho | 120 | 10 | 20.0% |
| Alaska | 90 | 10 | — |
| Delaware | 80 | 10 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Western Governors University
- Degrees each year
- 667
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 203
- Admit rate
- 81%
- Annual cost after aid
- $22,000
St. Joseph's University-New York
- Degrees each year
- 181
- Admit rate
- 71%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Towson University
- Degrees each year
- 162
- Admit rate
- 83%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Illinois State University
- Degrees each year
- 151
- Admit rate
- 89%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
- Degrees each year
- 106
- Admit rate
- 75%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Northern Arizona University
- Degrees each year
- 103
- Admit rate
- 91%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Western Washington University
- Degrees each year
- 102
- Admit rate
- 91%
- Annual cost after aid
- $18,000
Compare every college offering special education and teaching