13. SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER
JOB DESCRIPTION
Overview
Special education (SE) teachers
instruct public school students (K-12) with physical, cognitive, and
emotional/behavioral disabilities. They
adapt and develop educational materials to meet the unique needs of their
students, striving to ensure that disabled students reach their full learning
potential. SE teachers tend to
emphasize a particular type of disability in their training; the specific
categories of disability differ across states (categories are defined by state
departments of education), but generally include mental retardation/mental
handicaps, learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, and physical
disabilities. SE classes are usually
designed for students at a given grade level who have the same type of
disability.
Special education resource teachers
function as consultants within a school system. They
advise
general education teachers about means of modifying teaching methods for work
with disabled children in their classrooms.
They may lead a school “resource room” where disabled general education
students come for specialized instruction.
Early childhood special educators work
with disabled or slowly developing preschool children and their families. They devise activities that encourage the
growth of a child’s abilities, teaching these to children as well as helping
parents implement them at home. Early
childhood special educators are employed by preschool programs, community
centers, hospital-based outreach programs, and specialized day care
centers.
Typical Job Duties
• teaching children and adolescents
with cognitive, physical, or emotional/behavioral disabilities, usually in a
small classroom of 8-10 students
• assessing how each child learns best
and then adapting teaching methods to fit unique learning styles (e.g.,
improving a learning disabled child’s reading by encouraging reading aloud;
designing a behavior management program for a student with a poor attention
span)
• working closely with parents and
school professionals planning services to be provided to children (i.e.,
writing IEPs, or individualized education programs)
• consulting with general education
teachers about working with children with disabilities in their classrooms
• planning and developing creative
teaching and learning activities
• administering diagnostic tests and
evaluating outcomes of teaching methods
Job Outlook
The need for SE teachers is expected to
grow much faster than average due to legislation mandating educational
opportunities for individuals with disabilities, greater numbers of survivors
of accidents and illnesses who have disabilities, and growing public interest
in individuals with special needs. SE
teaching was ranked 13th on the BLS list of the fastest growing occupations,
and an October, 1997, article in U.S. News & World Report described
SE teaching as a “runner-up hot track” career.
In the MSU study, two special education areas were listed in the high
demand/limited supply category (learning disabilities and emotional
disturbance), three were described as good demand/possible shortage (mental
handicaps, visual handicaps, and hearing-impairment), and physical handicap
specialization was rated as near balance/supply equals demand.
Early childhood special
educators are also expected to be much in demand in the future. Federal legislation has led to a push for
early intervention and preschool education for all preschoolers with
disabilities.
Potential Earnings
The average starting salary for new
special education teachers with a master’s degree is $29,000. Median salaries are estimated to be
$38,000-$40,000. Remember that these estimates
are averages across all states; remember also that these are annual salaries
for a 10-month year.
TRAINING
Professional Degree Required
A bachelor’s degree in special
education is the usual entry-level degree.
However, teacher certification requirements differ greatly from state to
state, with master’s degrees necessary for
permanent certification in some states.
Master’s degrees also lead to higher salaries in most states.
Students who have already earned a
bachelor’s degree in another field can complete a second bachelor’s degree in
SE (i.e., only those courses necessary for teacher certification). It may also be possible for such students to
enter a master’s program in SE directly, taking extra courses at the graduate
level to make up for the lack of an undergraduate degree in education. Policies in this regard differ from state to
state.
How to Find Programs
The Council for Exceptional Children
(CEC) maintains a database with a list of colleges and universities offering
both undergraduate and graduate programs in special education (addresses
below). However, the CEC makes no claim
that their database is 100% complete or accurate, so you would be wise to check
a Peterson’s Guide as well, available in university career centers and
libraries. Begin by looking under
education; then find the special education subheading.
For programs within a particular state,
write to a state’s department of education for a list of approved programs in
SE. Many state departments of education
(sometimes called different things, e.g., department of public instruction)
provide such a list on their Internet home pages.
Entrance Requirements/Admissions
Programs are not highly
competitive. For students pursuing a
second bachelor’s degree, no courses are technically prerequired, although some
psychology and education courses may fulfill state certification
requirements. Check with specific
programs in which you are interested.
Master’s programs most often prerequire an undergraduate teaching
certificate but, again, requirements vary from state to state.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Print Materials/Organizations
Council of Exceptional Children (CEC),
1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1589.
888/CEC-SPED.
National Clearinghouse for Professions
in Special Education, address same as CEC.
800/641-7824. Free fact sheets
about professions.
Internet Resources
CEC home page: http://www.cec.sped.org/
CEC National Clearinghouse home page
(for list of programs):
http://www.cec.sped.org/ncpse.htm