Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.4). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Tasks

All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Administer standardized ability and achievement tests to kindergarten students with special needs.
• Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, or teacher training workshops to maintain or improve professional competence.
• Collaborate with other teachers or administrators to develop, evaluate, or revise kindergarten programs.
• Confer with other staff members to plan, schedule, or conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
• Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, or social development.
• Confer with parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or administrators to resolve students' behavioral or academic problems.
• Control the inventory or distribution of classroom equipment, materials, or supplies.
• Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
• Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
• Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
• Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage.
• Instruct special needs students in academic subjects, using a variety of techniques, such as phonetics, multisensory learning, or repetition to reinforce learning and meet students' varying needs.
• Interpret or transcribe classroom materials into Braille or sign language.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
• Meet with parents or guardians to discuss their children's progress, advise them on using community resources, or teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.
• Modify the general kindergarten education curriculum for special-needs students.
• Monitor teachers or teacher assistants to ensure adherence to special education program requirements.
• Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
• Organize and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their perceptual skills.
• Organize and supervise games or other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, or social development.
• Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading.
• Plan or supervise experiential learning activities, such as class projects, field trips, demonstrations, or visits by guest speakers.
• Prepare assignments for teacher assistants or volunteers.
• Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.
• Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or school or state requirements.
• Prepare, administer, or grade assignments to evaluate students' progress.
• Present information in audio-visual or interactive formats, using computers, televisions, audio-visual aids, or other equipment, materials, or technologies.
• Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
• Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
• Visit schools to tutor students with sensory impairments or to consult with teachers regarding students' special needs.

Work activities

• Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.
• Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
• Collaborate with other teaching professionals to develop educational programs.
• Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
• Discuss student progress with parents or guardians.
• Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
• Distribute instructional or library materials.
• Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs.
• Establish rules or policies governing student behavior.
• Monitor student performance.
• Teach others to use technology or equipment.
• Modify teaching methods or materials to accommodate student needs.
• Maintain student records.
• Direct activities of subordinates.
• Monitor student behavior, social development, or health.
• Evaluate student work.
• Display student work.
• Plan educational activities.
• Supervise school or student activities.
• Plan experiential learning activities.
• Develop instructional materials.
• Set up classroom materials or equipment.
• Develop instructional objectives.
• Prepare tests.
• Create technology-based learning materials.
• Assist students with special educational needs.
• Teach life skills.
• Tutor students who need extra assistance.

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Email Software Specialized Skill
• Presentation Software Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Education

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Related experience

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Preparation level

SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Education . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Work styles

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Related occupations

• Special Education Teachers, Elementary School · 25-2056.00 Compare →
• Special Education Teachers, Middle School · 25-2057.00 Compare →
• Special Education Teachers, Preschool · 25-2051.00 Compare →
• Special Education Teachers, Secondary School · 25-2058.00 Compare →
• Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors · 25-3011.00 Compare →
• Teaching Assistants, Special Education · 25-9043.00 Compare →
• Adapted Physical Education Specialists · 25-2059.01 Compare →
• Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education · 25-2012.00 Compare →
• Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · 25-2021.00 Compare →
• Tutors · 25-3041.00 Compare →
• Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education · 25-2031.00 Compare →
• Education Teachers, Postsecondary · 25-1081.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

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  title  = {Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-2055-00}
}