Education Resume Examples and Templates
Special Education Teacher Resume Examples and Templates for 2024
Last Updated:
December 18, 2024
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Special Education Teacher Resume Templates and Examples (Download in App)
- How To Write a Special Education Teacher Resume
- How To Pick the Best Special Education Teacher Resume Template
- Special Education Teacher Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Frequently Asked Questions: Special Education Teacher Resume Examples and Advice
- Check Out Related Examples
Special Education Teacher Resume Templates and Examples (Download in App)
- Special Education Teacher
- Elementary Special Education Teacher
- Entry-level Special Education Teacher
Special Education Resource Teacher Resume Example
A good special education teacher resume focuses on your relevant skills like classroom management, parent relations, or differentiated instruction. Give examples of your success as a special education teacher or in similar roles, and show your knowledge base by citing any degree or certificate programs you’ve done. This guide provides expert tips to help you create a persuasive resume showing your best special education teacher qualifications.
Key takeaways:
- Brainstorm details about your work history on a separate document or sheet of paper. Then, identify the most relevant ones to feature in your experience section – this helps you focus your resume on the role of special education teacher.
- Use bullet points to display your achievements. Start each bullet point with a strong verb like “Created” or “Enhanced.”
- Spell out the positive impact of your work as a special education teacher. Describe how your efforts helped students, colleagues, and the school community.
How To Write a Special Education Teacher Resume
Your special education teacher resume should usually include these sections:
- Contact information
- Profile
- Key skills
- Professional experience
- Education and certifications
1. Share your contact information
Give your full name, phone number, email address, location, and links to any online professional profiles. Ensure your contact information is current so employers can reach you for an interview.
Example
Your Name
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | City, State Abbreviation Zip Code | LinkedIn
2. Craft an outstanding profile with a summary of your special education teacher qualifications
Impress hiring managers at the top of your resume by giving the three to five primary reasons you can excel as their next special education teacher. Consider what sets you apart from other candidates, such as your:
- Years of related work experience
- Main strengths or specialties as an educator
- Work style or approach (diligent, patient, collaborative…)
- Advanced degree(s) or certifications in your field
Example
Elementary special education teacher with a master’s degree in special education and extensive experience in developing and implementing individualized education programs (IEPs). Proven ability to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team and maintain active communication with parents to support each student’s development. Recognized for strong classroom management skills and use of specialized instruction techniques, with a record of improving student performance and parent satisfaction.
3. Showcase your special education teacher experience
Over half a million Americans can say they’ve carried out the duties of a special education teacher. But only you can say you’ve carried out those duties to drive positive results for certain schools or student populations. Focus on those results in your experience section; your resume will be more distinctive and engaging.
Example:
Special Education Teacher, ABC Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA | January 2020 to present
- Develop IEPs for a caseload of 15 students, resulting in improved academic performance and social skills
- Collaborate with a team of speech therapists, occupational therapists, and school psychologists to provide comprehensive support for students
- Maintain regular contact with parents, providing updates on their child’s progress and strategies for at-home learning support
Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience
When possible, cite relevant performance data and metrics to show the results you’ve achieved as a special education teacher. Hard numbers put your work in context and give recruiters a better sense of your scope and impact.
Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume to each application
For each job posting you respond to, note any details given about the school’s size, mission, or students. How do these areas compare to your recent experience? You can make a stronger first impression on the hiring manager by citing these similarities in your profile.
What if you don’t have work experience?
Focus on your other credentials. Omit the “Professional Experience” section, and instead fill the page with details on relevant skills you’ve gained or projects you’ve worked on as an intern, volunteer, or student.
Regardless of your background, know that resumes are flexible. They can and should take whatever shape and structure is necessary to present your qualifications for the job, whether you’re at the entry or senior level.
4. Outline your education and special education teacher-related certifications
With the education and certifications sections, you can show you have a strong knowledge base in your field. Each degree or credential also serves as a formal endorsement of your skills and professionalism. Below are templates to help you organize this information on your resume (note, years are optional).
Education
Template:
[Degree Name], [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
[Relevant coursework or honors]
Example:
Bachelor of Science in Special Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Certifications
Template:
[Certification Name] | [Awarding Organization] | [Completion Date]
Examples:
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Behavior Analyst Certification Board
5. Outline your most useful special education teacher skills and proficiencies
A skills section lets you quickly show the different ways you can serve a school community. It also helps your resume perform well on applicant tracking systems (ATS) employers use to screen candidates. Below, you’ll find some key terms and skills to consider for this section:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Adaptive teaching methods | Behavior management techniques |
| Classroom management | Cross-functional collaboration |
| Differentiated instruction | Parent and guardian relations |
| Reporting and documentation | Specialized instruction techniques |
| Student engagement | Time management |
Resume writer’s tip: Use common action verbs
One of the best ways to enhance your resume is by starting each bullet point with a strong action verb. Dynamic verbs help you make your resume more clear, concise, and engaging than with nouns or noun phrases.
Do
- "Managed and motivated a 12-person team "
Don’t
- "Responsibilities included management of a 12-person team "
The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your special education teacher resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Clarified | Created |
| Decreased | Defined |
| Engaged | Enhanced |
| Fostered | Generated |
| Grew | Improved |
| Increased | Introduced |
| Lowered | Managed |
| Mentored | Prevented |
| Ranked | Reduced |
| Reinforced | Streamlined |
| Supported | Taught |
| Updated | Won |
How To Pick the Best Special Education Teacher Resume Template
The best resume templates are simple and easy to edit. Choose one that lets you quickly add, delete, flesh out, rearrange, and reorder sections. With a flexible design, you can tailor and optimize your resume for each job application.
Special Education Teacher Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
Joseph Corbin
Seattle, WA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | LinkedIn
Special education teacher with proven experience in developing IEPs, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and maintaining active communication with parents. Certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Council for Exceptional Children, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, demonstrating a deep understanding of special education laws and regulations, behavior management strategies, and differentiated instruction techniques.
Key Skills
- Behavior management strategies
- Cross-team collaboration
- Differentiated instruction techniques
- Parent communications
Education
Master of Education in Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Master of Arts in Teaching, Special Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Science in Special Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Professional Experience
Special Education Teacher, Pearson Education, New York, NY | January 2018 to present
- Developed and implemented IEPs to improve academic performance and behavioral outcomes for over 30 students
- Collaborated with a team of speech therapists, occupational therapists, and school psychologists to provide comprehensive support for students
- Maintained regular contact with parents, providing updates on student progress and involving them in decision-making, which improved parent-teacher relations and student outcomes
Special Education Teacher, Kaplan, Los Angeles, CA | May 2015 to December 2017
- Created and executed IEPs for a diverse group of students, increasing student achievement by 25%
- Worked closely with a team of professionals to ensure holistic support for students, resulting in a more integrated approach to special education
- Established open lines of communication with parents, leading to increased parental involvement and support for student learning
Professional Development
- Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Behavior Analyst Certification Board
- Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Special Education Teaching Certification, Council for Exceptional Children
- National Board Certification in Exceptional Needs Specialist (NBC-ENS), National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Why this special education teacher resume example is strong:
This resume has an engaging profile summary of Joseph’s top qualifications. In a brief paragraph, the profile describes his overall experience and skill set, training the reader’s attention first and foremost on what makes him a great candidate.
Frequently Asked Questions: Special Education Teacher Resume Examples and Advice
How do you align your resume with a special education teacher job posting?
Focus on editing your skills section. With just a few quick changes to this section, you can further hone your resume and help it get past screenings by ATS.
First, look closely at the job posting and highlight any required skills. Then, compare those highlighted terms against your resume’s existing skills section. Delete any skills from your list that don’t appear in the job posting, and add any missing skills of yours that do.
What is the best special education teacher resume format?
The combination (or hybrid) format, because it lets you present yourself both clearly and strategically. According to job search experts Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark, this format “gives you many opportunities to share your specific successes, valuable contributions, and unique qualifications. It offers immense flexibility in an easy-to-follow structure.”
A combination resume is any resume with these two features:
- An introduction describing your strengths. The traditional resume intro comprises a profile paragraph and skills list, as in the examples on this page. But there are many variations. Depending on your job search, you may omit one or both of these sections in favor of a one- or two-sentence career headline. You may also add other elements like graphs or client testimonials. Whatever approach you choose, your introduction should tell why you’re a strong candidate for the job opening.
- One or more experience sections. Hiring managers want to know your latest career activities. The combination format lets you provide that information with sections for your recent years’ work, internship, education, or other experience. For most job seekers, the bulk of their combination resume will be a “Professional Experience” section with detailed job descriptions in reverse chronological order.
Expert advice:
Include a cover letter with your resume
A good cover letter can enhance your job application. To write a standout letter, get specific. Tell the hiring manager why you’re interested in their organization and the special education teacher role they hope to fill.
Check Out Related Examples
Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.
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