Education · SOC 25-2058
Shepherding students with disabilities toward adult life demands human judgment, legal accountability, and deep advocacy.
Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
Timeline: High school special education faces persistent staffing shortages; AI will assist with documentation but human accountability in transition planning remains non-negotiable through 2030.
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$61,430 median pay
$63,620 median pay
$67,430 median pay
$62,340 median pay
$64,880 median pay
Education
AI job-risk card
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School is resilient on AIFear. Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
AIFear.com
Our AI Fear Score for Special Education Teachers, Secondary School is 23/100 (Resilient). Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
23 out of 100, based on an AI-model review of this occupation's O*NET tasks against what current AI can actually do.
Most exposed: Maintaining and updating IEP and compliance records, Drafting course outlines and lesson plans, Preparing classroom materials and handouts, Researching post-secondary transition resources. Harder to automate: IEP team collaboration and family engagement, Teaching behavioral self-regulation and social skills, Transition planning for employment and adult life, Monitoring and responding to student mental health.
Lean into Transition planning and self-determination, IEP compliance and documentation, Vocational and life skills instruction, Disability rights and advocacy. Consider roles such as Transition coordinator or Special education administrator or Vocational rehabilitation counselor.
Tasks, skills and AI-exposure for this role were reviewed by an AI model against its O*NET task profile (curated roles use published research anchors). Pay and employment, where shown, are U.S. BLS OEWS (May 2024) figures. This is an estimate, not a prediction about any individual's job. Compare all occupations.