Overworked and understaffed: Special ed teachers turn to AI for help

Special education teachers face shortages and high turnover, especially in schools serving low-income students. Many teachers report feeling overworked due to legally required paperwork layered on top of teaching duties. Mary Acebu, a special education teacher at Riverview Middle School, used artificial intelligence for about two years to speed up paperwork tasks. She says the time saved helps her spend more time talking with students and building relationships rather than working at a computer. Artificial intelligence is also being used to help develop individualized education programs that outline student goals and required services. A survey found that a majority of special education teachers reported using AI for individualized education program development.

"The sun would just be rising when teacher Mary Acebu began her days. She'd blast music on the way to work to get energized and get to her classroom by 6:30 to prepare for her students' arrival at 8. Often, it'd be dark by the time she headed home, sometimes with paperwork in tow. Like so many special education teachers around the country, this was Acebu's life for much of the 10 years she's been teaching at Riverview Middle School, in this small, unincorporated northern California town."

"For years, schools nationwide have struggled with hiring and retaining special educators. In the 2024-25 school year, 45 states reported special education teacher shortages, and staff turnover is worse in schools that largely serve low-income students, like Riverview. Some special educators say part of what makes them feel overworked is legally required paperwork layered on top of regular teaching duties."

"Acebu has been experimenting with artificial intelligence for the last two years to get through paperwork more quickly and says it's helped her instead use precious time for student interaction. "I have time to talk to the kiddos and really build those relationships," she says, "instead of sitting here in front of my computer.""

"Acebu is one of a growing number of those teachers around the nation using AI to help speed up that paperwork including for writing individualized education programs (IEPs). Educators and families maintain these detailed documents that outline goals and services students need to meet those goals at school. According to a recent survey by the nonpartisan Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), 57% of special education teachers polled nationwide said they used AI to help develop individualized"

Read at www.npr.org