As of June 2026, Special Education Teachers, Secondary School has an AI-exposure score of 48/100 (Moderate exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
More exposed than 28% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$74,260. About 11,100 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 — growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) — your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
How you compare to similar Education roles
Your tasks, by AI exposure
No automatable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as durable (90%).
- Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
- Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.
- Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Monitor teachers and teacher assistants to ensure that they adhere to inclusive special education program requirements.
- Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustments, academic problems, or special academic interests.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- Teach personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, and self-advocacy.
- Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
Safer adjacent roles
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