With school districts around the country reporting shortages of special education teachers, opportunities abound for those hoping to pursue a career teaching students who need additional support.
Special education teachers typically work in K-12 public schools serving students diagnosed with a wide range of disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities and developmental delays. Those populations are growing: Students qualifying for special education or related services in the United States jumped from 6.4 million in the 2010-2011 school year to 7.3 million — or 15% of all public school students — in 2021-2022.
The median pay for these teachers in 2021 was $62,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which also projects about 38,000 job openings each year over the next 10 years.
Filling Teacher Shortages
John Eisenberg, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, says 48 out of 50 states report their number one shortage within all K-12 education programming is special education teachers. “We are on the Titanic and the Titanic has hit the iceberg and the boat has half sunk,” he says.
[READ: Understanding Different Types of Learning Disabilities.]
Professionals in the field say there’s good reason to sound an encouraging word about pursuing the profession.
“The pitch I always make to students is this,” says Joseph Wehby, chair of the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education. “You become very, very good at problem solving. It’s the best part of the job: figuring out what will make this child respond. You are making a difference, but also using your brain to make good judgments and seeing how these judgments are making an impact on a child’s life.”
How to Become a Special Education Teacher
Students hoping to pursue special education as a career have a number of options – and that starts with exploring the programs available at their desired university. Vanderbilt, for instance, offers both a bachelor’s in special education, from which 15 to 20 students graduate per year, and a master’s program, where up to 60 degrees are awarded each year.
Undergraduates, says Wehby, can either apply directly to the special education program and begin classes their first semester of college, or transfer into the special ed program after their first year. Students are also able to double-major or take a minor in special ed, he says. Throughout their four years at Vanderbilt, they will have several opportunities to work with children enrolled in special education classes, from early childhood to 12th grade. Wehby says the final semester at school is spent teaching in a local special education classroom.
At the University of Kansas, students can be admitted as freshmen into the School of Education and Human Sciences, where they have an option to pursue a general education/special education dual degree. KU professor Sean Smith, who works in the Department of Special Education, says teacher shortages, coupled with post-pandemic realities, translate to more responsibility being put on general education teachers, and they need to be prepared to change the way they manage the diversity of abilities in their classrooms. Having a dual degree can help.
“Oftentimes in the past, gen-ed teachers would look to special ed teachers to care for the needs of students with disabilities,” he says. “Now the gen-ed teacher is managing this: mental health, executive function issues, social emotional, reading and math challenges. There is so much learner variability.”
In considering various special education teaching programs, says Wehby, students should look for ones with courses on how to teach. “They need programs that provide ample opportunity to learn best practices, as well as to practice in authentic educational settings in public schools to get feedback and to hone their skills,” he says. “If you’re not getting those programs offering those opportunities, you might go into classrooms where you’re less prepared, more easily frustrated and less likely able to see the success you’d like to see.”
The specific teaching methods presented to special education majors are what differentiates this degree from a general education major, says Wehby. “We’re working with children and youth who are not going to respond to typical instructional practices.”
Other Routes to Special Education Teaching
“Grow your own” teacher programs, which recruit local community members, including high school students, to enter the field of education have also sprung up around the country, some with a focus on special educators. “It’s much like the old school way of bringing people up through apprenticeships,” says Eisenberg. “School districts are doing this and some state systems provide grant money to help start those programs.” In order to get more special education teachers into the classroom, some states are also offering alternative licensure to those who already hold a four-year degree in another area. Eisenberg advises anyone interested in such a career switch to access their state’s department of education website to explore provisional certification requirements.
“There are also many opportunities in states that make it easier for military veterans under good standing,” he says.
The Role of Technology in Training
Technology plays an increasing role in helping train aspiring special education teachers, specifically when it comes to classroom management. Lisa Dieker, soon to take on the role of Williamson Family Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas, has spent over a decade at the University of Central Florida working with other UCF professors in mathematics and computer science to design a patented program called TeachLivE — a classroom simulator experience used to help train and support teachers.
The tool provides an opportunity for a special education teacher-in-training to practice their skills in a simulated classroom. The classroom’s students are represented by avatars, all of whom have been programmed to indicate varying levels of disabilities typically seen within special education classrooms. A mentor will observe how the teaching student reacts to challenging situations, such as a student throwing himself on the floor, or another who makes noises and walks about the room.
What Special Education Teachers Say About the Job
Hezekiah Herrera and Vantross Medina-White were part of a group of 11 teachers recently recognized by the National Association of Special Education Teachers for outstanding work in the classroom.
Herrera, who teaches at Joan MacQueen Middle School in Alpine, California, became a special education teacher five years ago, after a first career in public affairs. His focus is students with the most extensive support needs. “For me, it’s about making a meaningful impact. You can help these students achieve their goals and build confidence in their abilities,” he says.
Herrera advises potential special education teachers that they need to be creative, patient, adaptive and collaborative, and possess a strong sense of advocacy. “You play a crucial role with students with disabilities,” he says. ” If you want to truly impact and change the world? We can do so one person at a time.”
Medina-White has taught for 18 years at James K. Polk Elementary in Alexandria, Virginia. “To wake up every day and know I have helped a child is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced,” she says. She advises potential teachers to be flexible and passionate. “You have to be willing to give it your all every day, even if you are having a bad day,” she says. “You have to smile because those kids depend on you.”
About 10 years ago, she began working with a fifth grade boy who was functioning at a kindergarten level. “His self esteem was so low,” she says. “He’d tell me, ‘I’m so dumb.’ So every day I had him say an affirmation.” One year later, the child tested at a third grade level.
“The parents gave me a hug,” she says. “They were so touched that I inspired and motivated him.”
Not long ago, she says, the child came back to see her. “He wanted to say thank you for all I did for him,” she says. “That was very touching. It made me cry — for him to remember me, and what I did — it meant a lot. That keeps me going.”
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