Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
Occupation · SOC 25-2058.00
Teach academic, social, and life skills to secondary school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.
Also called: HS SPED Teacher (High School Special Education Teacher) · Learning Support Teacher · SPED Resource Teacher (Special Education Resource Teacher) · SPED Teacher (Special Education Teacher) · Education Specialist · Emotional Disability Special Education Teacher (ED SPED Teacher) · Exceptional Student Education Teacher (ESE Teacher) · Handicapped Teacher · Learning Disabilities Special Education Teacher (LD Special Education Teacher) · Special Day Class Teacher (SDC Teacher) · Blind Teacher · Braille Teacher
Job family: Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-25-2058-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-1.6% by 2034)
- 11,100 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $69,590/yr
55th-percentile task overlap — yet about 11,100 openings a year (-1.6% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
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.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 44th | 0.5 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 67th | 0.2 |
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 0.5). 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.
| Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress. | 4.2% | |
| Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies. | 3.7% | |
| Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations. | 3.1% | |
| Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health. | 1.8% | |
| Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities. | 1.4% | |
| Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools. | 0.9% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -1.6% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 11,100 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 164,200 → 161,500 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Tasks
All 40 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students. Core · importance 4.6
- Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations. Core · importance 4.5
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development. Core · importance 4.5
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory. Core · importance 4.5
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students. Core · importance 4.4
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities. Core · importance 4.4
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement. Core · importance 4.3
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems. Core · importance 4.3
- Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions. Core · importance 4.3
- Teach personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, and self-advocacy. Core · importance 4.3
- Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks. Core · importance 4.3
- Modify the general education curriculum for special-needs students, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies. Core · importance 4.2
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health. Core · importance 4.2
- Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula. Core · importance 4.2
- Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress. Core · importance 4.2
- Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes. Core · importance 4.1
- Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests. Core · importance 4.1
- Monitor teachers and teacher assistants to ensure that they adhere to inclusive special education program requirements. Core · importance 4.1
- Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools. Core · importance 4.1
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate. Core · importance 4.0
- Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations. Core · importance 4.0
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs. Core · importance 4.0
- Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms. Core · importance 4.0
- Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies. Core · importance 4.0
- Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress. Core · importance 3.9
- Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of secondary school programs. Core · importance 3.9
- Provide additional instruction in vocational areas. Core · importance 3.8
- Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation. Core · importance 3.8
- Administer standardized ability and achievement tests, and interpret results to determine students' strengths and needs. Core · importance 3.8
- Prepare for assigned classes, and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors. Core · importance 3.7
- Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage. Core · importance 3.6
- Meet with parents and guardians to provide guidance in using community resources and to teach skills for dealing with students' impairments. Core · importance 3.5
- Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence. Core · importance 3.5
- Provide interpretation and transcription of regular classroom materials through Braille and sign language. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required. Core · importance 3.3
- Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities. Core · importance 3.2
- Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading. Core · importance 3.1
- Sponsor extracurricular activities, such as clubs, student organizations, and academic contests. Core · importance 2.9
- Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies. Core · importance 2.8
- Visit schools to tutor students with sensory impairments and to consult with teachers regarding students' special needs. Supplemental · importance 2.8
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Monitor students using personal electronics or school-issued technology.
Work activities
- Maintain student records.
- Prepare reports detailing student activities or performance.
- Teach life skills.
- Set up classroom materials or equipment.
- Establish rules or policies governing student behavior.
- Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs.
- Collaborate with other teaching professionals to develop educational programs.
- Apply multiple teaching methods.
- Plan educational activities.
- Encourage students.
- Develop instructional objectives.
- Modify teaching methods or materials to accommodate student needs.
- Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
- Discuss student progress with parents or guardians.
- Advise students on academic or career matters.
- Monitor student performance.
- Monitor student behavior, social development, or health.
- Evaluate student work.
- Direct activities of subordinates.
- Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.
- Prepare tests.
- Teach vocational courses.
- Teach others to use technology or equipment.
- Create technology-based learning materials.
- Document lesson plans.
- Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
- Plan experiential learning activities.
- Serve on institutional or departmental committees.
- Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
- Distribute instructional or library materials.
- Order instructional or library materials or equipment.
- Supervise school or student activities.
- Assist students with special educational needs.
- Tutor students who need extra assistance.
- Coordinate student extracurricular activities.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Essential skills
| Learning Strategies | 4.1 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Speaking | 4.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | |
| Writing | 3.9 | |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | |
| Active Learning | 3.4 |
Transferable skills
| Instructing | 4.1 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | |
| Coordination | 3.9 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.9 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 | |
| Time Management | 3.8 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | |
| Persuasion | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Speech Clarity | 4.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Written Expression | 3.9 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.6 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 45.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
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.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- 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.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 42.4% | |
| Master's Degree | 42.2% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 15.0% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 0.2% | |
| Post-Master's Certificate | 0.2% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Integrity | 10.0 | |
| Cooperation | 9.0 | |
| Social Orientation | 8.0 | |
| Self-Control | 7.0 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 6.0 | |
| Empathy | 5.0 | |
| Perseverance | 4.0 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Social | 7.0 | |
| Investigative | 3.8 | |
| Artistic | 3.8 | |
| Conventional | 3.5 |
Interest areas
| Teaching/Education | 6.8 | |
| Social Service | 6.6 | |
| Professional Advising | 5.1 | |
| Social Science | 4.0 | |
| Public Speaking | 3.4 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $47,930 |
| 25th percentile | $58,180 |
| Median (50th) | $69,590 |
| 75th percentile | $87,140 |
| 90th percentile | $106,050 |
| People employed | 162,780 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services · Sector | 159,940 | $69,840 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 1,310 | $60,830 |
| Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities · National industry | 350 | $67,730 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry | 260 | $62,460 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 180 | $79,160 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 180 | $79,160 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 60 | $59,930 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services · Sector | 11.11× | 159,940 |
| Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities · National industry | 1.28× | 350 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry | 0.63× | 260 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 0.06× | 180 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 0.05× | 1,310 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.02× | 180 |
Related occupations
Part of the Education career cluster.
- Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten · 25-2055.00 Compare →
- 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 →
- Teaching Assistants, Special Education · 25-9043.00 Compare →
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · 25-2021.00 Compare →
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education · 25-2031.00 Compare →
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors · 25-3011.00 Compare →
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education · 25-2012.00 Compare →
- Tutors · 25-3041.00 Compare →
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education · 25-2022.00 Compare →
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School · 25-2023.00 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, Secondary School — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Education · field of study
Zoom out
See where this work sits in the bigger picture.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School show 55th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 11,100 annual U.S. openings
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School rank in the 55th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 11,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be declining (-1.6%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $69,590, across about 162,780 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School show 55th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 11,100 annual U.S. openings • Special Education Teachers, Secondary School rank in the 55th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 11,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be declining (-1.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $69,590, across about 162,780 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Special Education Teachers, Secondary School". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-2058-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Special Education Teachers, Secondary School." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-2058-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Special Education Teachers, Secondary School. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-2058-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-25-2058-00,
title = {Special Education Teachers, Secondary School},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-2058-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.