American vs. Cypriot Education

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the Cypriot and American educational systems are similar in their approach to special education, but reveals that the outcomes for students engaged in special education programs and integrated classrooms in Cyprus appear more positive than those for students in the American classroom. The paper attributes this to the more positive attitudes of Cypriot teachers towards integration and the little differentiation among Cypriot students with regard to socio-economic status and related factors, which are shown to influence educational outcomes in American students.

Outline:
Introduction
Literature Review
Analysis
Conclusions

From the Paper:

"To understand how special education students experience education in Cyprus, one must first understand the culture in which Cypriot students live. Bryant (2002) provides a complex and detailed overview of Cypriot culture; finding Cypriot idealisms and images of gender, family and kinship within the Greek nation are largely contingent on the "notions of a common substance shared between land and people" (p. 509). The author goes on to say that within Cyprus, there is much argument as to what is "natural" and "unnatural" with regard to the "national" kinship of people. This lack of uniformity among citizens tends to lead to an abyss, a variance of cultural logic and traditions, traditions that may influence among other factors, education."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Baker, J., Couthino, M., Deno, S., Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L., Jenkins, J., Jenkins, L., Zigmond, N. (1995). Special education in restructured schools: findings from three multi-year studies. Phi Delta Kappan, 767): 531.
• Bryant, R. (2002). The purity of spirit and the power of blood: A comparative perspective on nation, gender and kinship in Cyprus. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 8(3): 509.
• Cook, B.G., Cameron, D.L., Tankersley, M. (2007). Inclusive teachers' attitudinal ratings of their students with disabilities. Journal of Special Education, 40(4): 230-238.
• Cyprus Ministry of Education. (n.d). "Education Cyprus." Cyprus Ministry of Education Development of Education. Accessed 7, June, 2007: http://www.enostos.net/education/index_cy.htm
• Gersten, R., Schiller, E., & Vaughn, S. (2000). Contemporary special education research: Syntheses of knowledge base on critical instructional issues. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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