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The differences between school aides and special education instructional assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special education instructional assistant has an average salary of $32,025, which is higher than the $29,896 average annual salary of a school aide.
The top three skills for a school aide include CPR, role model and direct supervision. The most important skills for a special education instructional assistant are CPR, instructional materials, and autism.
| School Aide | Special Education Instructional Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $29,896 | $32,025 |
| Hourly rate | $14.37 | $15.40 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 69,231 | 60,974 |
| Job satisfaction | 1 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
School aides assist teachers in supervising students throughout the school year. The aides help teachers in their record-keeping tasks like grading assignments and taking attendance in class. Some of them help teachers keep the class running smoothly, while others work with students with special needs. They attend staff meetings, in-service training, and school programs. It is part of their job to establish spreadsheets and databases to improve the inventory management of tuition payments and uniforms. They also apply planning, prioritization, and project management skills toward achieving deadlines while they maintain high-quality standards.
Special education instructional assistant does work under the supervision of the principal and other administrative workers, especially in school and college. They prepare the material aids which are helping to teach in the classroom. Moreover, they are more inclined upon the progress of students. Conducting the exams, preparing the notes, preparing the result and giving the instruction to the students about their life career and course books etc are the main duties of the special education instructional assistant. They preach, instruct, command and come up with the idea about making the school environment more friendly and viable.
School aides and special education instructional assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Aide | Special Education Instructional Assistant | |
| Average salary | $29,896 | $32,025 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $39,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Brentwood, NY | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | St. Clare Catholic School | Goleta Union School District |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a school aide and a special education instructional assistant in terms of educational background:
| School Aide | Special Education Instructional Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between school aides' and special education instructional assistants' demographics:
| School Aide | Special Education Instructional Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% | Male, 19.3% Female, 80.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |