Overworked and understaffed: Special ed teachers turn to AI for help
Special education teachers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to manage paperwork, allowing them to focus more on student interaction. Mary Acebu, a teacher in California, reports that AI has significantly reduced her administrative workload. This trend comes amid a nationwide shortage of special education teachers, with many educators seeking innovative solutions to improve their effectiveness in the classroom.
- ▪Mary Acebu has been using AI for two years to speed up paperwork related to individualized education programs (IEPs).
- ▪A recent survey found that 57% of special education teachers used AI to develop IEPs in the 2024-25 school year, up from 39% the previous year.
- ▪Research indicates that AI can help create IEPs of equal or higher quality than those produced solely by teachers.
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Education Overworked and understaffed: Special ed teachers turn to AI for help May 20, 20265:00 AM ET Jonaki Mehta Mary Acebu, a special education teacher at Riverview Middle School in Bay Point, Calif., works with a student during a math lesson. She says using AI to help with the paperwork part of her job allows her to spend more time interacting with her students in a meaningful way. Talia Herman for NPR hide caption toggle caption Talia Herman for NPR Editor's note: NPR uses only the first names of minors in this story because it discusses their learning disabilities and placement in special education. BAY POINT, Calif. — The sun would just be rising when teacher Mary Acebu began her days.
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