Director Of Special Education Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Director Of Special Education resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Special education teachers work with students who have unique learning needs or who are transitioning into school. They’re passionate about helping their students succeed and thrive. If you share this passion and are ready to make a difference in students’ lives, a job as a special education director might be the perfect next step in your career.
Special education directors oversee the implementation of special education programs and services within their school districts. They’re responsible for ensuring that students with disabilities are receiving the services they need to succeed in school. And they’re also tasked with ensuring that teachers and other staff members are equipped with the resources they need to provide quality instruction.
If you’re ready to make a difference in the lives of students with disabilities, here are some tips plus an example resume for reference when writing your own special education director resume.
How to Write a Director Of Special Education Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
When you’re writing your bullet points, it can be tempting to just list your responsibilities. But that’s not going to make a strong impression on recruiters. Instead, you should focus on the results of your work.
For example, rather than saying you “developed curriculum for students with special needs,” you could say that you “developed curriculum for students with special needs that resulted in a 10% increase in test scores for students with autism.”
The second bullet point is much stronger because it provides specific numbers and details about the project. It also provides context about the project by mentioning the type of students involved.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you submit your resume for a director of special education role, it’s likely that it will be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. ATS programs look for specific terms related to the job like “special needs” or “disabilities” in order to determine whether your skills and experience are a match for the position. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, the ATS might filter out your application before a human ever sees it.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, use this list of common director of special education keywords as a starting point to help you identify the most relevant skills and experiences to include on your resume:
- Special Education
- Educational Leadership
- Curriculum Development
- Staff Development
- Educational Technology
- Teacher Training
- Classroom Management
- Lesson Planning
- Differentiated Instruction
- Elementary Education
- Instructional Design
- Differential Equations
- Program Development
- Teacher Training
- Public Speaking
- Elementary Education
- Teaching
- Learning Management Systems
- K-12 Education
- Educational Technology
- Public Education
- Special Education Legal Issues
- Coaching
- Rehabilitation
- Hospitals
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Personal Development
- Organizational Development
- Management
- Community Outreach
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a director of special education, you need to be proficient in a variety of software programs and systems in order to effectively manage your team and the resources at your disposal. This might include experience with special education databases, case management software, or educational resources. Additionally, many directors of special education are now using social media platforms to communicate with parents and guardians, so familiarity with these platforms is also a valuable skill.