Skip to main content

State of the Profession

State of the Profession

Participate in the 2024 Survey!

The Council for Exceptional Children is conducting a crucial survey on the current state of special education to inform our third State of the Profession Report. By sharing your insights and experiences, you can help CEC gain a deeper understanding of the field and contribute to its advancement.

About the Survey

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)'s State of the Special Education Profession Survey Report is a groundbreaking survey of more than 1,460 special education teachers, commissioned by the CEC Pioneers Division and supported by CEC.

The results of this survey provide a current snapshot of the state of the profession and serve as a data-driven foundation for CEC leadership activities in public policystandards, and professional development.

Past Reports

Download the Full Report (2019)

 

Special TEC Issue on the Survey Report

 

Additional documents:

 

Highlights from the 2019 Survey

Four thematic areas emerged in the survey results:

  • Use of the Individualized Education Program (IEP)
  • Survey respondents’ feelings of competence
  • The importance of family engagement
  • The need for systems-support in delivering special education

A fifth area explored what respondents report they need to be successful with their students. Within these areas, respondents identified strengths in their profession as well as areas of concern. Ultimately, respondents ranked the most important factors for their success in teaching students with exceptionalities. The top three factors included:

  • Adequate resources to meet IEP requirements
  • Smaller class size/caseloads
  • Administrators who support the IEP process

Learn more about the State of the Profession Survey from Mary Ruth Coleman, one of the authors of the survey and Senior Scientist Emeritus from FPG Child Development Institute.

Last Updated:  29 October, 2024

© 2024 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). All rights reserved.