# Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

US SOC code 25-2056. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-2056

Also called: Special education teacher (elementary), Special ed elementary teacher, SPED teacher (elementary), Resource teacher (elementary), Self-contained special ed teacher (elementary).

## In brief

The latest figure on this timeline is an estimated **280,000** US elementary school special education teachers, from 2000. Median pay was an estimated **$39,000** a year in 2000. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.perkins.org/samuel-gridley-howe/) of **50** from 1848, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for elementary school special education teachers: Assistive technology and adaptive learning, 2005 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS's 2025-35 employment projections do not list this occupation on its own.

### AI exposure studies

- **35%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of cited sources to 2000.

## Special Education Teachers, Elementary School employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1817
- Latest US employment: 280,000 (2000, estimate). Source: Est., US Department of Education IDEA History [5]
- Latest US median pay: $39,000 (2000, estimate). Source: Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2000 [8]

### All 7 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1848 | 50 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Perkins School for the Blind [1] |
| 1900 | 1,200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Encyclopedia.com [2] |
| 1948 | 75,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Parallels in Time II (Minnesota Dept… [3] |
| 1976 | 165,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., EdWeek / IDEA 50th Anniversary (2025) [4] |
| 1980 | n/a | $13,500 (estimate) | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics [6] |
| 1990 | n/a | $29,000 (estimate) | Est., NCES Digest [7] |
| 2000 | 280,000 (estimate) | $39,000 (estimate) | Est., US Department of Education IDEA History (employment) [5]; Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2000 (pay) [8] |

## Sources (45)

### Employment series

1. [Perkins School for the Blind -- History: founding 1832, Samuel Gridley Howe, early teaching staff structure](https://www.perkins.org/samuel-gridley-howe/), Perkins School for the Blind
2. [Encyclopedia.com -- Special Education history: ungraded classes and residential school growth, late 19th century](https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/education/education-terms-and-concepts/special-education), Encyclopedia.com
3. [Parallels in Time II (Minnesota Dept. of Human Services) -- "Only 12% of disabled children received any special education in 1948" (retrospective history of special education)](https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels2/three/002.html), Minnesota Department of Human Services / Parallels in Time
4. [EdWeek / IDEA 50th Anniversary (2025) -- "50 Years of IDEA": 695,466 teachers and related service personnel served students ages 3-21 under IDEA by 2005-06; 1976-77 implementation data from IDEA History at sites.ed.gov/idea](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/50-years-of-idea-4-things-to-know-about-the-landmark-special-education-law/2025/12), Education Week
5. [US Department of Education IDEA History -- 1998-99: approximately 5.7 million school-age children receiving special education; NCES student-service data used to calibrate teacher workforce estimate](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History), US Department of Education

### Wage series

6. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics -- Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, selected years 1959-60 through 2020-21 (Table 211.50)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d21/tables/dt21_211.50.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
7. [NCES Digest -- Minimum and average teacher salaries by state, 1990-91 (Table dt96\_078); general teacher average used as calibration base for special education teacher wage estimate](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d96/d96t078.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
8. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2000 -- Special Education Teachers: median annual earnings estimate for kindergarten and elementary level, circa 2000](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/special-education-teachers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

9. [American School for the Deaf -- History: Laurent Clerc, ASL origins, founding 1817](https://www.asd-1817.org/about/history--cogswell-heritage-house), American School for the Deaf
10. [Perkins School for the Blind -- Samuel Gridley Howe: raised-type printing press, early tactile instruction methods](https://www.perkins.org/samuel-gridley-howe/), Perkins School for the Blind
11. [StateUniversity.com Encyclopedia -- Special Education: history of special classes, intelligence testing, and ability tracking in US public schools](https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2438/Special-Education.html), StateUniversity.com Encyclopedia of Education
12. [Parallels in Time II (MN MNDDC) -- "The 1960s: Children with Disabilities Brought into the Education System": history of exclusion and 12% service rate in 1948](https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels2/three/002.html), Minnesota Department of Human Services
13. [US Department of Education IDEA History -- Public Law 94-142 signed November 29, 1975; implementation data; 695,466 personnel serving IDEA students by 2005-06](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History), US Department of Education / IDEA
14. [Britannica -- Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975): FAPE mandate, IEP requirement, least restrictive environment](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Education-for-All-Handicapped-Children-Act), Encyclopaedia Britannica
15. [Frontline Education -- Special Programs Management: K-12 IEP, 504 plan, Medicaid, and compliance software used by school districts across the US](https://www.frontlineeducation.com/special-programs/special-ed-software/), Frontline Education
16. [AssistiveWare -- Proloquo2Go history: launched 2009 on iOS, world's most popular AAC app; transformed AAC access for students with complex communication needs](https://www.assistiveware.com/products/proloquo2go), AssistiveWare
17. [Microsoft Education -- Immersive Reader: AI reading support embedded in Microsoft 365 Education apps; purpose-designed for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and language processing disabilities](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/immersive-reader), Microsoft
18. [MagicSchool AI -- IEP Generator and 60+ educator tools; used by 3M+ teachers; accommodation generator, BIP scaffolding, UDL differentiation; 2025](https://www.magicschool.ai/), MagicSchool AI
19. [EdWeek -- "Teachers Are Using AI to Help Write IEPs. Advocates Have Concerns" (October 2025): AI IEP tool adoption, advocacy and legal concerns, calls for guardrails](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-are-using-ai-to-help-write-ieps-advocates-have-concerns/2025/10), Education Week
20. [Council for Exceptional Children -- AI in Special Education position statement (2025): AI supports documentation and content differentiation; cannot replace licensed SPED teacher judgment, IDEA accountability, or family advocacy](https://exceptionalchildren.org/), Council for Exceptional Children
21. [EdWeek IDEA 50th Anniversary (2025) -- 34% of public school leaders report understaffing in special education; persistent shortage trend; IEP paperwork burden identified as top burnout driver](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/50-years-of-idea-4-things-to-know-about-the-landmark-special-education-law/2025/12), Education Week

### Forecasts and exposure studies

22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-2056.00, human-rated β 0.35)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [American School for the Deaf -- History: founding April 15, 1817; Laurent Clerc; federal land grant 1820](https://www.asd-1817.org/about/history--cogswell-heritage-house), American School for the Deaf
24. [Perkins School for the Blind -- Samuel Gridley Howe: founding 1832, first students, raised-type printing press](https://www.perkins.org/samuel-gridley-howe/), Perkins School for the Blind
25. [Embryo Project Encyclopedia -- Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1972); Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia (1972)](https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/pennsylvania-association-retarded-citizens-parc-v-commonwealth-pennsylvania-1972), Embryo Project Encyclopedia / Arizona State University
26. [US Department of Education IDEA History -- Public Law 94-142 signed November 29, 1975; one-in-five children with disabilities educated before EHA](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History), US Department of Education
27. [IDEA at 50: Goalbook -- "IDEA 50th Anniversary: Honoring a Living Promise in Special Education" (2025); IDEA 2004 highly-qualified teacher requirements](https://goalbook.com/leadership/idea-50th-anniversary/), Goalbook
28. [EdWeek -- "50 Years of IDEA: 4 Things to Know About the Landmark Special Education Law" (2025); shortage statistics, AI IEP tool adoption](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/50-years-of-idea-4-things-to-know-about-the-landmark-special-education-law/2025/12), Education Week

### Predecessors & successors

29. [American School for the Deaf -- History: first teachers trained at ASD, residential model 1817-1900](https://www.asd-1817.org/about/history--cogswell-heritage-house), American School for the Deaf
30. [Encyclopedia.com -- Special Education history: ungraded classes, urban special schools, 1900-1970](https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/education/education-terms-and-concepts/special-education), Encyclopedia.com
31. [US Department of Education IDEA History -- post-1975 hiring wave drew heavily from existing general education teacher pool through emergency and alternative certification pathways](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History), US Department of Education

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Special Education Teachers, Elementary School (25-2056.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, knowledge domains, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2056.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH 2024-2034 — Special Education Teachers: ~460,000 employed; +5% growth 2024-2034; ~37,600 annual openings; median annual wage $63,780](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/special-education-teachers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [IDEA 34 CFR § 300.320–300.325 — IEP team composition: licensed special education teacher is a mandated IEP team member under federal law; services must be delivered by or under direct supervision of licensed special education teacher](https://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,D,300%252E321,), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) — AI in Special Education position (2025): AI can support IEP writing and differentiated content; AI cannot replace licensed SPED teacher judgment, IDEA compliance responsibility, family partnership, or advocacy role](https://exceptionalchildren.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [MagicSchool AI — IEP Generator and 60+ educator tools: AI drafts SMART IEP goals from disability category, grade level, and present levels; accommodation generator; BIP scaffolding; used by 3M+ teachers including special educators (2025)](https://www.magicschool.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Goalbook Toolkit — 7,000+ research-based IEP goals; AI goal-matching to present levels; used by 200,000+ special educators in 2,200+ districts; Goalbook Pathways includes UDL instructional strategies (2025)](https://goalbook.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [n2y Polaris — IEP software with AI-generated present level statements and SMART goals; standards-aligned lessons for students with complex disabilities; used by 50,000+ schools (2025)](https://www.n2y.com/products/polaris/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Floreo — FDA Breakthrough Device VR platform for ASD social skills; repeatable social scenarios controlled by SPED teacher via tablet; peer-reviewed evidence for gaze behavior improvement (2024)](https://floreovr.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [EdWeek — "Can AI Write a Good IEP? What Special Education Experts Say" (2023): AI tools could ease paperwork burdens for SPED teachers; concerns about privacy, efficacy, and individualization; special educators must review all AI goal output against individual student present levels](https://www.edweek.org/technology/can-ai-write-a-good-iep-what-special-education-experts-say/2023/08), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; Special Education Teachers share low-to-moderate direct LLM exposure pattern with adjacent teacher codes due to embodied, relational practice core](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [IDEA 34 CFR § 300.320 — IEP content requirements: present levels, measurable annual goals, specially designed instruction, accommodations, and related services; goals must be individualized to the specific student](https://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,D,300%252E320,), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Read&Write (Texthelp) — AI literacy support software with text-to-speech, word prediction, and vocabulary support for students with dyslexia, LD, and ELL; widely used as IEP-mandated AT in elementary SPED (2025)](https://www.texthelp.com/products/read-and-write-education/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Microsoft Immersive Reader — AI text decoding support embedded free in Word, OneNote, Teams for Education; syllable spacing, picture dictionary, translation, text-to-speech; designed for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and language processing disabilities (2025)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/immersive-reader), accessed 2026-05-24
- [IDEA 34 CFR § 300.324(a)(2)(v) — IEP team must consider whether the student needs assistive technology devices and services; AT consideration is a required element of IEP development for every student with a disability](https://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,D,300%252E324,), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.