Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between special educators and certified teachers 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 $50,708 average annual salary of a certified teacher.
The top three skills for a special educator include autism, student learning and math. The most important skills for a certified teacher are math, mathematics, and kids.
| Special Educator | Certified Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $53,565 | $50,708 |
| Hourly rate | $25.75 | $24.38 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 62,545 | 92,051 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A certified teacher is responsible for designing lesson plans and activities for the students by following the curriculum and the students' learning needs. Certified teachers manage the coordination of the students within the classroom setting, observe their behaviors, and identify their areas of improvement by determining every student's strengths and weaknesses. They also evaluate the students' performance and progress by conducting assessments and facilitating engaging activities that would not only help the students develop their mental skills but their social connections as well.
Special educators and certified teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Educator | Certified Teacher | |
| Average salary | $53,565 | $50,708 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $75,000 | Between $37,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oceanside, NY | Danbury, CT |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Capistrano Unified | Universal Health Services |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a special educator and a certified teacher in terms of educational background:
| Special Educator | Certified Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Special Education | Elementary Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between special educators' and certified teachers' demographics:
| Special Educator | Certified Teacher | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7% | Male, 25.6% Female, 74.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |