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Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
Teach academic, social, and life skills to secondary 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
Education Specialist · Emotional Disability Special Education Teacher (ED SPED Teacher) · Exceptional Student Education Teacher (ESE Teacher) · Handicapped Teacher · HS SPED Teacher (High School Special Education Teacher) · Learning Disabilities Special Education Teacher (LD Special Education Teacher) · Learning Support Teacher · Special Day Class Teacher (SDC Teacher)
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to helping, analytical and creative work.
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
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
- Learning Strategies
- Instructing
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Writing
Subjects to know
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Therapy and Counseling
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Speech Clarity
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
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 | 4.3 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 2.8 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.9 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.1 | 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 master's degree 57%
- A four-year degree 43%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Document management software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Electronic mail software
- Desktop publishing software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite 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
- 21,140
- Job openings each year
- 340
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 18.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 21,140 | 340 | 18.8% |
| California | 13,800 | 950 | 3.8% |
| Texas | 13,060 | 960 | 11.5% |
| Florida | 9,580 | 700 | 11.7% |
| Ohio | 9,430 | 670 | 8.0% |
| Illinois | 9,190 | 630 | 2.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 8,630 | 580 | — |
| New Jersey | 6,820 | 470 | 3.6% |
| Virginia | 5,280 | 350 | — |
| Minnesota | 5,170 | 360 | 3.0% |
| North Carolina | 3,540 | 250 | 6.6% |
| Maryland | 3,350 | 240 | 10.2% |
| Colorado | 3,240 | 240 | 15.7% |
| Missouri | 3,160 | 220 | 1.9% |
| Georgia | 2,910 | 210 | 9.0% |
| Washington | 2,790 | 240 | 13.4% |
| Wisconsin | 2,640 | 180 | 3.5% |
| Louisiana | 2,330 | 160 | 3.1% |
| Kentucky | 2,150 | 150 | — |
| Iowa | 2,060 | 150 | 6.2% |
| Tennessee | 2,050 | 150 | 15.2% |
| Indiana | 2,020 | 140 | 2.0% |
| Arizona | 2,010 | 140 | 3.1% |
| Oklahoma | 1,840 | 130 | 4.5% |
| Michigan | 1,710 | 110 | — |
| South Carolina | 1,710 | 120 | 8.2% |
| Connecticut | 1,460 | 100 | 5.8% |
| Kansas | 1,440 | 100 | 2.1% |
| Arkansas | 1,390 | 100 | 3.0% |
| Mississippi | 1,380 | 100 | 3.8% |
| Nebraska | 1,310 | 90 | 4.0% |
| Utah | 1,280 | 100 | 18.5% |
| Delaware | 1,260 | 90 | 10.5% |
| New Mexico | 1,230 | 90 | 6.0% |
| Massachusetts | 1,220 | 90 | 9.9% |
| Maine | 840 | 60 | −1.2% |
| Vermont | 840 | 60 | 3.7% |
| Oregon | 740 | 50 | 2.8% |
| Rhode Island | 650 | 40 | 1.6% |
| Idaho | 640 | 50 | 14.3% |
| New Hampshire | 600 | 40 | — |
| Alabama | 580 | 40 | 5.5% |
| South Dakota | 490 | 30 | 4.3% |
| Nevada | 470 | 30 | 4.4% |
| District of Columbia | 430 | 30 | 4.9% |
| Montana | 400 | 30 | 2.6% |
| Wyoming | 390 | 30 | 11.4% |
| North Dakota | 370 | 30 | 5.7% |
| West Virginia | 260 | 20 | — |
| Alaska | 170 | 10 | 6.3% |
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