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.
Director of special education responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of special education resumes:
- 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.
Director of special education skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Directors Of Special Education are proficient in Professional Development, Autism, and Education Programs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Patience, Communication skills, and Decision-making skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Special Education that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Professional Development, 13%
Created agendas and professional development for teachers and provided important information regarding laws, regulations, and services.
- Autism, 10%
Coordinated testing activities and drafted IEP plans for students with High Functioning Autism and Attention Deficit Disorder.
- Education Programs, 6%
Formulated an average estimated special education fund budget of $760,430 and prepared proposals Transportation and Special Education Programs.
- Behavior Management, 6%
Acted as crisis interventionist and provided teachers with behavior management strategies as well as teaching techniques.
- K-12, 5%
Represented the district as K-12 instructor as for students who are intellectual disabled.
- IEPs, 5%
Attended all related meetings (IEPS and METS).
Common skills that a director of special education uses to do their job include "professional development," "autism," and "education programs." You can find details on the most important director of special education responsibilities below.
Patience. One of the key soft skills for a director of special education to have is patience. You can see how this relates to what directors of special education do because "special education teachers must be able to stay calm instructing students with disabilities, who may lack basic skills, present behavioral or other challenges, or require repeated efforts to understand material." Additionally, a director of special education resume shows how directors of special education use patience: "tutored children in various subjects, performed basic physical therapy, and taught practical life skills with patience and love. "
Communication skills. Many director of special education duties rely on communication skills. "special education teachers need to explain concepts in terms that students with learning disabilities can understand," so a director of special education will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways director of special education responsibilities rely on communication skills: "support curriculum development for students with disabilities, including, physical, intellectual, communication, and learning disabilities. "
The three companies that hire the most director of special educations are:
- Boston Public Schools3 directors of special education jobs
- KIPP DC3 directors of special education jobs
- ChanceLightâ„¢ Behavioral Health, Therapy & Education2 directors of special education jobs
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Compare different directors of special education
Director of special education vs. Emotional support teacher
A Learning Disability Teacher plays a vital role in ensuring that every child with special needs can be able to learn even though they are physically and mentally struggling because of their disability. This career does a lot of intervention and production of outcomes for the individual to understand the importance of studying. They use different guides and materials like diagrams, pictures, and other graphics to improve their cognitive, psychological, and analytical thinking of an individual who has disability issues.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a director of special education are more likely to require skills like "education programs," "behavior management," "k-12," and "curriculum development." On the other hand, a job as an emotional support teacher requires skills like "behavioral problems," "social emotional support," "classroom environment," and "behavior support." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Emotional support teachers tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of special education. In fact, emotional support teachers are 12.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.8% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Director of special education vs. Learning disabilities teacher
Learning support teachers focus on offering out-of-school education to pupils who need additional help. Their duties include planning and implementing constructive teaching policies as well as collaborating with parents, other relevant professionals, and personnel. They assist pupils in adapting and overcoming problems that emerge due to learning difficulties. Also, the design and foster suitable skills and social abilities as well as motivate students to develop independence, self-confidence, and to achieve their full potential. Additionally, they develop and deliver lessons as well as record and assess children's progress.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that director of special education responsibilities requires skills like "education programs," "behavior management," "due process," and "staff development." But a learning disabilities teacher might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "student learning," "learning disabilities," "math," and "educational programs."
Learning disabilities teachers earn a lower average salary than directors of special education. But learning disabilities teachers earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $39,190. Additionally, directors of special education earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $69,342 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Learning disabilities teachers tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of special education. In fact, they're 6.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of special education vs. Handicapped teacher
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from director of special education resumes include skills like "education programs," "k-12," "curriculum development," and "public schools," whereas a handicapped teacher is more likely to list skills in "behavior analysis," "core curriculum," "language arts," and "social studies. "
Most handicapped teachers achieve a lower degree level compared to directors of special education. For example, they're 10.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 7.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of special education vs. Learning support teacher
Types of director of special education
Updated January 8, 2025
