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The differences between education technicians 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 $41,808 average annual salary of an education technician.
The top three skills for an education technician include classroom management, III and behavior management. The most important skills for a special educator are autism, student learning, and math.
| Education Technician | Special Educator | |
| Yearly salary | $41,808 | $53,565 |
| Hourly rate | $20.10 | $25.75 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 34,987 | 62,545 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
The job of an Education Technician is to provide support services to the teaching staff. As an Education Technician, you will be responsible for a variety of duties including reinforcing the academic skills of students in the classroom, the library, and individualized situations, assisting students with their learning materials, and developing student activity plans. Additionally, you will be responsible for reviewing and reinforcing students' learning and preparing instructional materials. You may also perform administrative duties and attend training and orientation as required.
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 technicians and special educators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Education Technician | Special Educator | |
| Average salary | $41,808 | $53,565 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $58,000 | Between $38,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Oceanside, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | Capistrano Unified |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between an education technician and a special educator in terms of educational background:
| Education Technician | Special Educator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Special Education |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between education technicians' and special educators' demographics:
| Education Technician | Special Educator | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.9% Female, 68.1% | Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 8.3% White, 62.5% 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% |