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Job outlook for special education curriculum specialists in the United States
Are special education curriculum specialist jobs in demand?
Special education curriculum specialist job and salary trends over time
Special education curriculum specialist jobs over time
Special education curriculum specialist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 96 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 91 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 92 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 85 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 82 | 0.00% |
Average special education curriculum specialist salary over time
Special education curriculum specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $68,512 | $32.94 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $67,817 | $32.60 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $65,934 | $31.70 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $65,218 | $31.35 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | $63,898 | $30.72 | +0.3% |
Special education curriculum specialist jobs by state
Most common states for special education curriculum specialists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 95 | 14% |
| 2 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 497 | 11% |
| 3 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 204 | 11% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 60 | 10% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 57 | 10% |
| 6 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 472 | 8% |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 109 | 8% |
| 8 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 468 | 7% |
| 9 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 271 | 7% |
| 10 | Delaware | 961,939 | 70 | 7% |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 811 | 6% |
| 12 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 726 | 6% |
| 13 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 725 | 6% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 226 | 6% |
| 15 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 63 | 6% |
| 16 | Alaska | 739,795 | 47 | 6% |
| 17 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 490 | 5% |
| 18 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 353 | 5% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 269 | 5% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 111 | 5% |
Most common cities for special education curriculum specialists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $77,165 |
Special Education Curriculum Specialist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of special education curriculum specialist experts
Lamar University
Tennessee Tech University
East Carolina University
Wayne State University
Concordia University, St. Paul
Alverno College
University of Denver
Central Washington University
California University of Pennsylvania
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of California, Los Angeles
William & Mary
University of Idaho
Shippensburg University
What Special Education Curriculum Specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Debbie Azevedo Ed.D.: Graduates can pursue additional certifications, such as special education or bilingual authorizations. Another idea would be to seek opportunities in the private sector such as working with an edtech company or as an educational specialist, supporting school districts with curriculum and instructional practices.
What will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists increase their earning potential?
Debbie Azevedo Ed.D.: 1. Collaboration with Colleagues and the Community - Graduates will need skills in teamwork and collaborating on curriculum design to create educational experiences supportive and inclusive of all students. 2. Digital Integration - Graduates will integrate digital tools, including artificial intelligence, into their curriculum to enhance student learning. 3. Data Analysis - The skill of collecting and analyzing student data to inform instruction will be essential in improving student outcomes. 4. Personalized Learning Design - The skill of designing curricula to fit students' needs, including adaptive learning technologies and individualized learning paths, will be critical in the next 3-5 years as learning becomes more student-centered.
Dr. Johnny O'Connor Ph.D.
Iinterim Department Chair and Assistant professorLamar University
Department of Education Leadership
What soft skills should all Special Education Curriculum Specialists possess?
Dr. Johnny O'Connor Ph.D.: Curriculum and Instruction professionals in PK - 12 settings consistently interact with various stakeholders (i.e., students, teachers, and staff). Given this, soft skills are a vital part of their success. Successful C&I professionals often present with the following soft skills:
-Ability to effectively communicate
-Strong desire to support student success
-Ability to effectively plan, organize and execute timely
-Inherent capacity to develop and work with interdisciplinary teams
Given the everchanging demand of this role and its direct effect on student achievement, C&I professionals must also be equipped with an unwavering work ethic.
What skills will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists earn the most?
Dr. Johnny O'Connor Ph.D.: In most professions, those that offer the most value to an organization earn more. Careers in curriculum and instruction are no exception. The skill level and experience of C&I professionals can vary widely. Nonetheless, only the most well qualified can demand top pay. C&I professionals with the following qualifications can expect to earn more than their less qualified peers:
-Advanced degrees in Curriculum/Instruction and/or Educational Leadership (i.e., M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.)
-Experience with online instructional tools and learning platforms
-Experience developing and facilitating large scale professional development
-Knowledge and experience with curriculum and instruction in multiple content areas
-Experience as an instructional coach
-Ability to design, interpret and implement various models of response to intervention
-Previous leadership role in curriculum and instruction
-Ability to create and design customized curriculum
-Expertise in supporting the curriculum and instruction needs of multiple student groups
-5+ years successful teaching experience in a core subject area
What skills stand out on Special Education Curriculum Specialist resumes?
Jeremy Wendt: Currently, an in-depth understanding of hybrid and online learning is the most valuable skill set for curriculum or instructional design positions. There are always baseline expectations for curricular development that any qualified candidate will learn through coursework or hands-on experience. However, layering in the ever-changing and evolving online learning environment creates a void in the skillset of the typical curriculum designer or educator.
What soft skills should all Special Education Curriculum Specialists possess?
Jeremy Wendt: Job candidates must always consider their impact and role on a team. Communication and interaction with a team and organizational hierarchy will continue to be vital regardless of the in-person or online nature of a job. Software and hardware advances have enabled workers to continue as productive employees, but positive human interaction is still the most important soft skill. All companies have routines, expectations, and identities that are unique to the company. Understanding your skills, personality, and expertise in the context of the organization will contribute to the success of the company and your career.
What skills will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists earn the most?
Jeremy Wendt: Flexible, adaptable, and confident job candidates are the most desirable. These abilities will create agility in a workplace, especially if the employees are always willing to grow, refine, and rebuild their skillset. Setting goals for the future, but adapting to change when it takes place, will always create unique opportunities for advancement and progress.
What skills will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists earn the most?
Todd Finley Ph.D.: As in any profession, the skill most useful for earning more is the ability to enhance the effectiveness and bolster the emotions of everyone around you. This often involves positively reframing sticky situations. Given that teaching is an emotionally intensive profession, that last skill is super important.
What skills stand out on Special Education Curriculum Specialist resumes?
Todd Finley Ph.D.: Curriculum specialists should be fluent in appraising and conducting research, both qualitative and quantitative. This is because classroom professionals are often tasked with making data-informed instructional decisions. They should also be up-to-date in reading new research on the brain and high-impact practices.
Dr. Leah Ketcheson
Assistant Professor, Health and Physical Education Teaching (H-PET)Wayne State University
Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies
What hard/technical skills are most important for Special Education Curriculum Specialists?
Dr. Leah Ketcheson: Keeping the delivery of content up to date with multiple forms of representation. Students must digest content in various ways, such as through presentations, videos, discussion boards, etc.
What skills will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists earn the most?
Dr. Leah Ketcheson: Hard work, resiliency, and creativity.
What skills stand out on Special Education Curriculum Specialist resumes?
Dr. Leah Ketcheson: Flexibility with the delivery of course content. We like to feel confident our instructors are ready to teach online, in person, or in a hybrid model.
What soft skills should all Special Education Curriculum Specialists possess?
Dr. Leah Ketcheson: Listening to feedback from students and building relationships with community partners.
Dr. Barbara Wissink
Associate Professor of Education, Program Chair: Master of Education: with an Emphasis in Literacy with the additional MN K-12 Reading EndorsementConcordia University, St. Paul
Graduate Teacher Education
What skills stand out on Special Education Curriculum Specialist resumes?
Dr. Barbara Wissink: First and foremost, the candidate needs to have the required credentials in the specific curriculum area they seek to become specialized in. For example, if a candidate was interested in becoming a literacy coach or reading specialist, they would need to highlight the specific license, endorsement, or certificate required in their state. This means that the candidate needs to research their state's specialist requirements before committing to a graduate program, ensuring that they will have the correct credentials when they complete the program.
What soft skills should all Special Education Curriculum Specialists possess?
Dr. Barbara Wissink: Two soft skills really stand out at this time in the school settings: adaptability and coachability. By adaptability, curriculum and instruction specialists must modify the curriculum and instruction based on the students' needs and the instructional delivery model. During the COVID-19 pandemic, specialists had to learn to adapt their instruction and curricula to ensure that distance learning was relevant and meaningful for their students. In addition, many specialists also were charged with mentoring teachers who were facing the same challenges of creating a meaningful distance learning experience for their students.
Secondly, curriculum and instruction specialists need to be coachable. This soft skill proved necessary during the pandemic, as specialists needed to expand their existing instructional style and learn new ways of delivering content to the students and teachers they interact with in the in-person, distance learning, and hybrid modalities.
Desiree Pointer Mac Ph.D.
Professor of Education, Director of Graduate Education ProgramsAlverno College
School of Professional Studies, Education Division
What skills stand out on Special Education Curriculum Specialist resumes?
Desiree Pointer Mac Ph.D.: Based on my experience creating and advising others in creating educator preparation programs in the United States, Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru, I believe that the skills that stand out on International Curriculum Specialist resumes highlight outcomes that are not context-specific, but that transcend country- or culture-bound educational contexts. The model of Alverno College (http://alverno.edu) provides one internationally-renowned example of how to do this - it highlights that well-prepared educators, including those charged with developing curricula, should be adept in five advanced educational abilities, which incorporate soft skills and hard/technical skills within the knowledge, skills, and dispositions therein.
What soft skills should all Special Education Curriculum Specialists possess?
Desiree Pointer Mac Ph.D.: For example, an international curriculum specialist should have the ability to conceptualize, which is to say, they deeply understand the relevant content and learning theory required. In this case, an international curriculum specialist should be widely and deeply read in curriculum theory, current research, and the key debates across contexts. But if we are merely knowledgeable or adept in conceptualization ability alone, we lack other essential abilities. Educators must also have the ability to communicate, that is, to speak clearly, listen effectively, be attentive to subtle non-verbal cues, be responsive to cultural nuance, and be adept in the use of technology to facilitate all of the above.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Special Education Curriculum Specialists?
Desiree Pointer Mac Ph.D.: They also must have the ability to diagnose, which indicates that they are observant, inquiring, creating assessments and reflecting on their data, and posing new questions as part of a reflective practitioner cycle of inquiry. They must have the ability to coordinate, which means that they can arrange time, space, personal resources, digital environments, and processes effectively so that people can learn most effectively. And lastly, they must have the ability of inclusive interaction, through which they convey passion for their professional work, advocacy for the people they serve, humility in their own learning, curiosity about what they have yet to learn, and the desire to collaborate with communities of practice. Related to all of these, specific technical skills can come into play, especially as identified first by Punya Mishra in conceptualizing "technological pedagogical content knowledge." The technical skills are in service to the pedagogical purposes.
What skills will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists earn the most?
Desiree Pointer Mac Ph.D.: In terms of having the greatest impact on others' learning, working most deeply within one's purpose and leveraging one's strengths toward the greater good may result in increased earnings. However, most servant leaders do not prioritize financial rewards over benefits to greater humanity.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Special Education Curriculum Specialists?
Maria Salazar Ph.D.: Our graduates will experience positive and negative impacts as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Our graduates, like many other across the world, are facing a changing work force that must adapt in real time. Our graduates must be flexible, open, and innovative in order to thrive in the current work force. Our graduates are also dealing with looking after their physical and mental well-being, and that of their loved ones. This puts added pressure on graduates to navigate a changing world, while maintaining mental and physical health. Our graduates have learned how to use technology in new ways for online teaching and learning. They have learned from the challenges and successes they have experienced navigating online environments, and they will use this knowledge to make teaching and learning more powerful. Last, our graduates have become more aware of inequities, such as education and health disparities, that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. They emerge as relentless advocates for marginalized communities.
What will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists increase their earning potential?
Maria Salazar Ph.D.: Graduates in Curriculum and Instruction will increase their earning potential by demonstrating that they are innovative and they are able to adapt to changing environments. Moreover, demonstrating an interdisciplinary approach is vital in order to understand the intertwined perspectives and approaches that are necessary to solve community challenges.
Dr. Wendie Lappin Castillo Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Special EducationCentral Washington University
Department of Education, Development, Teaching and Learning
What's a good job out of college for Special Education Curriculum Specialists?
Dr. Wendie Lappin Castillo Ph.D.: We prepare our candidates to be Licensed Public School Teachers. Of course, my answer would be.....Teaching! Teaching is the most rewarding career on the planet! We have prepared our teacher candidates to teach in multiple types of platforms.
What will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Wendie Lappin Castillo Ph.D.: The best way a teacher can increase their earning potential is by working toward a Graduate Degree.
What will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists increase their earning potential?
Jason Kight: Location, location, location... Teacher pay is generally based upon the school district and the property taxes within that district. It can also vary greatly from state to state. As a whole, teachers are underpaid. This deters some of the best and brightest students from majoring in teacher education. If teachers want to increase their earning potential, they can move to a district that pays more or earn advanced degrees to increase their pay faster. A lot of teachers have side hustle jobs in the evenings, weekends, and in the summer to supplement their income. It is really sad that they have to do this but as a society we do not value teachers. As I have grown older, it has become worse.
Tammie Samuels
Lecturer & Coordinator, Undergraduate Special EducationUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
Department of Student Development
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Special Education Curriculum Specialists?
Tammie Samuels: It is of my perspective that there will be a long-term impact on how we prepare prospective Special Education candidates. The change, however, is positive. Special Education faculty must now consider how to regularly and consistently implement various technological platforms and strategies into the current curriculum. Our doing so will model for prospective 21st Century teachers the new and progressive way of reaching and teaching PK-12 students.
The traditional use of direct instruction as the primary teaching method must be reconsidered due to COVID-19. Special Education teachers must now scale-up, so to speak, by working even more collaboratively with students and instituting more constructivist approaches to their instruction. The child that was once positive, energetic and excited to come to school and learn may now display a negative, listless, and depressed attitude after being schooled at home.
Along the same lines, interfacing with a PC and other forms of technology for primary learning allowed the child more autonomy. The level of autonomy declines for the child when the special educator must directly address specific goals and objectives of an IEP. Because of this, students' emotional and behavioral dispositions may transition during lessons and must be acknowledged in order for the learning process to take place (e.g. during COVID, students determined whether they physically remain during an entire lesson, show their faces, eat/drink during instruction, receive instruction in or out of bed, etc.).
The upcoming graduates of this academic year (2021) will face unorthodox changes to teaching. Even so, they are more equipped to accommodate students because of their own ability to resonate with the adverse consequences of COVID-19. All have received practical experience with licensed special educators to disseminate trial and error-based remote instruction to students with disabilities.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Special Education Curriculum Specialists?
Tammie Samuels: University of Massachusetts Amherst special education graduates must pass MTELs (Massachusetts Tests of Educator Licensure) in order to teach professionally in the state of Massachusetts. COVID-19 restrictions have posed challenging situations and scenarios for preservice and prospective teachers to meet this requirement.
For example, testing dates and sites have been altered and cancelled. Although done for safety and health measures, it has caused tremendous anxiety and stress for graduating and matriculating students.
Prospective teachers must also complete a practicum (student teaching) component in a classroom with students with disabilities.
Because many schools encountered closures, uncertainty with instructional format (e.g. hybrid, face-to-face, fully remote) and systemic instability, our prospective special education teachers have to display a decorum of professionalism that includes a tremendous amount of flexibility and humility. As a result, this too, can be viewed as positive, since situations are never stagnant, routine or predictable in the field of special education.
COVID-19 has helped to shape our teachers for quality.
What will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists increase their earning potential?
Tammie Samuels: Most persons to enter the field of special education do so because of personal or familial reasons. It is well known that teaching is not a profession that financially rewards educators equitably, as do other vocations such as medicine and law. Nevertheless, the earning potential for novice special education teachers can and will increase if our graduates secure profound experience in the classroom. Of course, salaries are more competitive when the special educator has graduate degrees to compliment years of classroom teaching.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Special Education Curriculum Specialists?
Dr. Eduardo Lopez Ph.D.: Given that candidates have been teaching online for the past year, they will need to make a transition to teaching in-person the following year. One of the major skills they will need to learn is how to effectively manage the classroom. They have not been able to practice these skills given that learning has occurred over Zoom.
What's a day at work look like for a Special Education Curriculum Specialist?
Dr. Eduardo Lopez Ph.D.: The first year after graduation is a busy one given that students are learning to be a full-time teachers. They are juggling learning to teach effective lessons, manage students, and create lessons. Some teachers in the first year often stay after school working on lessons and correcting papers until 7 or 8pm. An important skill to learn during this time is create a work/life balance.
What will help Special Education Curriculum Specialists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Eduardo Lopez Ph.D.: Teachers pay increases with more classes they take and professional development sessions they participate in. Participation in the union is also important in order to learn about workload, pay and health benefits.
What skills stand out on Special Education Curriculum Specialist resumes?
Meredith Kier Ph.D.: I think moving forward administrators will look for applicants to demonstrate evidence of adaptability, creativity, and flexibility. Further, teacher candidates will need to show how they are able to use educational technologies to foster connectedness and community building among students. The pandemic has made it evident that teachers are able to flourish amidst countless hurdles to meet the needs of diverse students. It can only be hoped for that this unprecedented event will elevate the profession to show the essential need for teachers in the field.
I think that we will continue to need talented candidates in the field who are prepared in culturally-responsive teaching strategies to promote equitable learning outcomes for students. This being said, it is important for teachers to be supported by their administrators and community to cultivate a network of care for students.
Taylor Raney Ph.D.
Director of Teacher Education, Associate Chair, Associate ProfessorUniversity of Idaho
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Special Education Curriculum Specialist job market given the pandemic?
Taylor Raney Ph.D.: I have two answers for this, one conventional and one perhaps less so. First, we'll need teachers of all levels and disciplines. The work it requires to be useful is significantly greater than this time last year, and teachers are burning out. They're burning out easier because they have the same expectations for student learning and less time with which to impact there. They're burning out because they have students whose parents don't know how to help, so they get frustrated with the teachers. In a nutshell, my prediction is, if you take the current needs and multiply them by 1X, we'll have an increased need across the board by X. So the need for special educators, math, and science teachers will continue to be the biggest one, just more so than before.
The second answer, perhaps less apparent, is the increased need for mental health professionals. That's probably not directly tied to teachers, but schools are already significantly understaffed in this area, so they'll be in even greater demand. There are thousands of kids now not getting the nutrition, academic stimulation, support for mental well-being, etc. They need it without being in schools. The needs that will arise from that will be profound. To curb that, we need more mental health professionals in schools. I don't suspect there will be an increase in the job market for that, though, because that's not something I've ever seen legislators care enough about to put money toward.
What Special Education Curriculum Specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Lynn Baynum Ph.D.: A gap year is typically seen as an opportunity to expand a worldview, yet many teacher candidates do not have the opportunity to study abroad. This should not preclude a future teacher from taking time to expand his/her knowledge and skills in relation to cultural and economic constructs that influence teaching and learning. One way to do so is to enroll in language courses or to work/volunteer in socio-culturally sponsored initiatives. Emersion is key to optimizing the gap year so that the teacher candidates can examine a cultural landscape. Perspective-taking can also break down biased beliefs.
For example, a teacher candidate who volunteers to work in a homeless shelter would begin to understand the factors that impact academic success. Also, teacher candidates can volunteer or work in urban settings with English Language Learners to better understand language acquisition. Fluency in a second language is not required in teacher training, yet conversational understanding of a second language helps a teacher candidate to not only communicate in that language, but also to empathize with English Language Learners. Knowledge of these factors (language acquisition, poverty, equity) enables teacher candidates to not only reflect on learners' needs but also to learn how to advocate for support. In addition, teacher candidates can become well versed in the service agencies aligned with community wellness and safety. In fact, teacher candidates can enroll in such programs as Youth First Aid Mental Health Training and QPR Training (Question, Persuade, Refer) to better recognize links between cognitive and social-emotional development.