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The differences between special education instructors and education paraprofessionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special education instructor has an average salary of $34,380, which is higher than the $31,158 average annual salary of an education paraprofessional.
The top three skills for a special education instructor include autism, data collection and ABA. The most important skills for an education paraprofessional are autism, behavioral issues, and mathematics.
| Special Education Instructor | Education Paraprofessional | |
| Yearly salary | $34,380 | $31,158 |
| Hourly rate | $16.53 | $14.98 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 82,793 | 53,164 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
These education instructors provide verified and special instructions to deal with the instructional objectives/goals featured within each learner's IEP. They assess learners' progress and identify if there is a need to reinforce or adjust instructional techniques. They make it easy for learners to attain their IEP objectives by employing different teaching principles, methods, and techniques. Besides evaluating and re-evaluating special education, These education instructors also direct, supervise and evaluate educational assistants where possible. These professionals also perform their duties based on federal and state regulations and rules and school board policies.
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.
Special education instructors and education paraprofessionals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Education Instructor | Education Paraprofessional | |
| Average salary | $34,380 | $31,158 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $54,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Martinez, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Missouri State University | Boston Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a special education instructor and an education paraprofessional in terms of educational background:
| Special Education Instructor | Education Paraprofessional | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Special Education | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between special education instructors' and education paraprofessionals' demographics:
| Special Education Instructor | Education Paraprofessional | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2% | Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 3.6% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |