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The differences between education paraprofessionals and special educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special educator has an average salary of $53,565, 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 educator are autism, student learning, and math.
| Education Paraprofessional | Special Educator | |
| Yearly salary | $31,158 | $53,565 |
| Hourly rate | $14.98 | $25.75 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 53,164 | 62,545 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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's role is to facilitate learning for students with disabilities. The responsibilities of a special education teacher typically revolve around identifying the needs of students, devising lesson plans and strategies to meet their needs, developing test structure to assess their learning, and assisting them in areas of difficulties. It is also essential to coordinate with families and guardians, reporting to them should there be any problems. Furthermore, as a special education teacher, it is necessary to monitor the students' progress and behavior, maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for them.
Education paraprofessionals and special educators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Education Paraprofessional | Special Educator | |
| Average salary | $31,158 | $53,565 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $38,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Oceanside, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New York |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | Capistrano Unified |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between an education paraprofessional and a special educator in terms of educational background:
| Education Paraprofessional | Special Educator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Special Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between education paraprofessionals' and special educators' demographics:
| Education Paraprofessional | Special Educator | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3% | Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7% |
| 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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |