Greece and the United States: A comparison of two special education systems and the implications for educational reform

This study compares the Greek and American special education systems in order to observe similarities and differences, and eventually develop recommendations for the improvement of both systems.;The study uses three sources of evidence. The first source is the comparison of the two countries' special education laws. The second source is the interviews of the Greek and American "policymakers". The third source is the administration of the stakeholders' survey. The study is a mixed-method, comparative design. The results of the study indicated that some of the major concerns regarding the Greek special education system were: lack of infrastructure; lack of money resources; lack of appropriate teacher training and education; lack of procedural safeguards; and a gap between the theory of laws and the practical application of their provisions regarding students with special needs. The major concerns for the American special education were: lack of appropriate teaching; unequal dispersion of resources and lack of uniformity across states regarding the implementation of regulations. The results also indicated that one of the positive aspects of the Greek special education system was the lack of judicial and legal abuse involving educational issues. The most positive aspect of the American special education system was the six founding principles of IDEA.;At the end, the researcher developed a list of recommendations regarding both special education systems. This list was developed in hope that one day it can be used as a "tool for change".