Education and Training
Director of Special Education
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Responsible for the planning, development, coordination, and management of all special education programs, services, budgets and personnel. Ensures compliance with state and federal regulations governing the delivery of services to students with disabilities.
Job Outlook
There were 40 Director of Special Education job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 2830 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Elementary and Secondary School Administrator industry, which includes the Director of Special Education career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Director of Special Education jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $71,445.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $59,448.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Director of Special Education postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $55,889.
Education and Experience
Posted Director of Special Education jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 31% |
| Master's Degree | 64% |
| Doctoral Degree | 2% |
| Other | 3% |
Posted Director of Special Education jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 23% |
| 3 to 5 years | 66% |
| 6 to 8 years | 7% |
| 9+ years | 3% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Director of Special Education positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication Skills (48%)
- Teamwork / Collaboration (41%)
- Planning (39%)
- Research (21%)
- Writing (21%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Special Education (49%)
- Teaching (45%)
- Budgeting (37%)
- Staff Management (21%)
- Educational Programs (8%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Scheduling (18%)
- Case Management (11%)
- Data Analysis (8%)
- Supervisory Skills (8%)
- Project Management (7%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Staff Development (6%)
- Curriculum Development (4%)
- Program Evaluation (4%)
- School Psychology (3%)
- Grant Writing (3%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Adult Education (1%) – marginal value $6,857
- Staff Development (6%) – marginal value $5,066
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Director of Special Education skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Director Of Special Education
- Special Education Director
- Special Education Case Manager
- Assistant Director Of Special Education
- Director Of Special Services
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Student Support Administrator
- Assistant School Principal
- Elementary and Secondary School Administrator
- School Principal
- Superintendent (Education)
- School Athletic Director
- Director of Instruction / Curriculum Specialist
- Dean of Students
- Dean (General)
- Physical Education Teacher
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Director of Special Education jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Idea Public Schools (39)
- Boston Public Schools (37)
- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (23)
- SUNY (23)
- Oakland Unified School District (17)
North Carolina
- Winston Salem State University (6)
- Appalachian State University (5)
- University of North Carolina (3)
- Vance Granville Community College (2)
- James Sprunt Community College (2)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from EMSI Burning Glass (now Lightcast). For more information about how they gather data and what it represents, see Emsi Burning Glass Data Basic Overview.