How To Become An Inclusion Special Educator: What It Is and Career Path

What is an inclusion special educator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Jennifer Kurth,

Tara Kirton

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an inclusion special educator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $29.54 an hour? That's $61,437 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 13,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an inclusion special educator?

Jennifer Kurth

Associate Professor, Website

Being a special education teacher is a wonderful career - it offers lasting opportunities to make a difference and change lives. With this opportunity comes needs to build relationships with students and families to work towards effective collaboration and support. Special education is a team approach, and collaborating with others lets teachers leverage the skills and expertise of others as the team works towards the common goal of supporting the student in pursuing their goals. I would also recommend new teachers stay organized - special education involves a lot of important paperwork, so developing a system to keep track of this, without letting it feel like overwhelming, is essential. I recommend that teachers seek strengths in themselves but especially in their students. Identifying those strengths lets us leverage them in ways that enable students to thrive - so always find those unique skills and interests to build upon. Finally, take care of yourself. Teaching can be demanding, especially in special education. Jake sure to prioritize your self-care and maintain a healthy and sustainable work-life balance. You'll be better able to support your students when you are well rested and emotionally grounded - these will also be traits that facilitate your longevity in this great field!

ScoreInclusion Special EducatorUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,437

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 3.62%

Black or African American 9.41%

Hispanic or Latino 11.60%

Unknown 3.96%

White 71.03%

Gender

female 74.00%

male 26.00%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an inclusion special educator

Explore inclusion special educator education requirements

Most common inclusion special educator degrees

Bachelor's

48.8 %

Master's

25.6 %

Associate

14.0 %

Start to develop specific inclusion special educator skills

Skills	Percentages
Classroom Management	60.74%
Autism	15.98%
ARD	8.55%
Data Collection	7.45%
Utilize Microsoft	7.28%

Complete relevant inclusion special educator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New inclusion special educators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an inclusion special educator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real inclusion special educator resumes.

Research inclusion special educator duties and responsibilities

Manage student behavior and administer discipline, including intervening in crises and physically restraining students as necessary according to IEP.
Clarify assignments and simplify concepts in general education classes to meet the IEPs and BIPs of special education students.
Communicate team concerns and questions to administration/ leadership.
Design PowerPoint presentations enhancing educational environment.

Prepare your inclusion special educator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your inclusion special educator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an inclusion special educator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable inclusion special educator resume templates

Build a professional inclusion special educator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your inclusion special educator resume.