Director of special education vs education director

The differences between directors of special education and education directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a director of special education has an average salary of $80,520, which is higher than the $62,123 average annual salary of an education director.

The top three skills for a director of special education include professional development, autism and education programs. The most important skills for an education director are educational programs, curriculum development, and classroom management.

Director of special education vs education director overview

	Director Of Special Education	Education Director
Yearly salary	$80,520	$62,123
Hourly rate	$38.71	$29.87
Growth rate	4%	7%
Number of jobs	21,975	24,774
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	43	47
Years of experience	-	6

What does a director of special education do?

A Director Of Special Education plans, implements, and maintains special education programs and services. They also consult with parents of students enrolled in the program.

What does an education director do?

An education director is responsible for implementing educational programs, developing strategic teaching procedures, and updating the curriculum based on the students' learning levels. Education directors evaluate existing teaching practices by coordinating with instructors, students, and other learning institutions, requesting additional resources and materials for their maximum learning. They also create progress reports for teaching methodologies and adjust the learning approach as needed. An education director must have a broad knowledge of the education industry, its nature, and disciplines to identify learning opportunities that would increase the quality of learning of a specific institution.

Director of special education vs education director salary

Directors of special education and education directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Special Education	Education Director
Average salary	$80,520	$62,123
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $115,000	Between $41,000 And $93,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	California
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	WebMD
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between director of special education and education director education

There are a few differences between a director of special education and an education director in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Special Education	Education Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Special Education	Business
Most common college	Columbia University in the City of New York	University of Pennsylvania

Director of special education vs education director demographics

Here are the differences between directors of special education' and education directors' demographics:

	Director Of Special Education	Education Director
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	16%

Differences between director of special education and education director duties and responsibilities

Director of special education example responsibilities.

Manage all office procedures including successfully meeting DCFS visits and requirements.
Provide oversight of fiduciary hold, non-publicly trade assets within the bank's wealth management department.
Integrate a customer relationship management application for improve tracking and communication for all study abroad relate students and activities.
Integrate a customer relationship management application for improve tracking and communication for all study abroad relate students and activities.

Education director example responsibilities.

Lead numerous off site rock climbing and whitewater canoe trips.
Manage company and teach community CPR, first aide and disaster preparedness.
Initiate and manage an intensive ESL program, serving hundreds of students.
Schedule and/or lead staff training sessions and follow-ups regarding TL process, LRE, and RTI.
Lead project management team in development/execution of conferences and enduring CME -accredite programs.
Coordinate several courses which involve development of the departmental syllabus and managing development of the departmental final.

Director of special education vs education director skills

Common director of special education skills

Professional Development, 13%
Autism, 10%
Education Programs, 6%
Behavior Management, 6%
K-12, 5%
IEPs, 5%

Common education director skills

Educational Programs, 10%
Curriculum Development, 9%
Classroom Management, 9%
Professional Development, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

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Director Of Special Education
Director Of Special Education vs Education Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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