The main topic of these resources has been surrounding the Greek education system and its structure. The Greek education system has some similarities to the U.S. American education system, as well as some main differences. Both in Greece and the U.S., the education system is broken up into different levels based on age ranges. In Greece, early education starts at age 5 in kindergarten, though parents have the option of putting children in day care before that. Primary education then continues from ages 6-12 and secondary education is broken up into two parts: junior high from ages 12-15 and high school from ages 15-18. The age ranges are similar to the ones in the U.S., but the different kinds of schools that Greek families can choose from are different than those in the U.S. For example, according to the Fullbright website, different high school options that exist for students can range from general high school to experimental high school to music or arts high school. There additionally is evening high school for people who work, which can be compared to GED programs in the U.S. in terms of its option for students.

Something else I found interesting about Greek education is that school is only compulsory until age 15. Though this is not much different than the U.S., where I believe most states have compulsory school until ages 16-17, from my experience I think there is a big stigmatization that exists in the U.S. that really pushes for students to at least get a high school diploma. Additionally, the fact that school in Greece is free and there is not many private school options is different than that of the U.S. School is very expensive in our country and many non-public school options exist, like private schools and charter schools. Especially recently, there has been a huge push for “school choice” which has led to a growth is varying school options.

Two similarities that I found between both Greek schools and U.S. American schools however is the push for multicultural education to address the changing demographics in the schools and the need for more teacher support in the country. Teacher stability and teacher salaries are some things that Greece needs to prioritize, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. This can be compared to the U.S. where teacher retention and salaries are also low and not as supported by the government as they should be.