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The differences between education paraprofessionals and special education teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special education teacher has an average salary of $54,290, which is higher than the $31,158 average annual salary of an education paraprofessional.
The top three skills for an education paraprofessional include autism, behavioral issues and mathematics. The most important skills for a special education teacher are classroom management, autism, and behavior management.
| Education Paraprofessional | Special Education Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $31,158 | $54,290 |
| Hourly rate | $14.98 | $26.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 53,164 | 67,699 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An education paraprofessional's role is to carry out support tasks for a teacher in a school setting. They are responsible for creating learning materials such as visual aids and presentations, participating in devising lesson plans and assessment methods, grading and evaluating student performances, and even maintaining order in the classroom. There are also instances where they must assist students who are having difficulties catching up with the lessons. Furthermore, an education paraprofessional may also teach under the supervision of a more experienced educator.
A special education teacher is responsible for teaching students with disabilities. Special education teachers are trained professionals to provide distinct learning instructions for children with special cases for them to achieve their potentials and improve their self-confidence. A special education teacher must have excellent communication and organizational skills to assist the students with their learning areas. Special education teachers should be able to come up with engaging activities to support the students' behavioral and intellectual development.
Education paraprofessionals and special education teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Education Paraprofessional | Special Education Teacher | |
| Average salary | $31,158 | $54,290 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $39,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | Baltimore City Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between an education paraprofessional and a special education teacher in terms of educational background:
| Education Paraprofessional | Special Education Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Special Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between education paraprofessionals' and special education teachers' demographics:
| Education Paraprofessional | Special Education Teacher | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3% | Male, 24.6% Female, 75.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |