Educating Greek Americans

Fevronia K. Soumakis is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queens College, The City University of New York, USA. She received her PhD in the History and Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, USA.Theodore G. Zervas is Professor of Education and Coordinator of the Masters of Arts in Teaching program at North Park University, USA. His previous publications include Formal and Informal Education during the Rise of Greek Nationalism: Learning to be Greek (2017) and The Making of a Modern Greek Identity: Education, Nationalism, and the Teaching of a Greek National Past (2012).

“This book is a significant step forward. Educating Greek Americans has made a groundbreaking contribution. I highly recommend it to those interested in foreign language education or the history of Greeks in the United States.” (Elaine Thomopoulos, JMH, The Journal of Modern Hellenism, Vol. 35, January, 2023)“The book’s appearance is timely … . this new book will become a standard work on Greek-American education that others will refer to and build upon for many years to come. … The studies in the Soumakis-Zervas volume contain examples of successful methods and models that should be adopted and shared.” (Constantine G. Hatzidimitriou, Journal of Modern Greek Studies, Vol. 40 (1), May, 2022)

• 1. Introduction: Educating Greek Americans.- 2. Greek Orthodox Education: Challenges and Adaptations in New York City Schools.- 3. The First Educational Books for Greek Children in America.- 4. Considering the "Socratic Method" When Teaching he Odyssey and Iliad at the Socrates and Koraes Greek American Schools.- 5. Breaking the Traditional Greek School Mold: The Case of the Aristotle GSL Program.- 6. An American and Greek Language Integrated Curriculum for A Dual Language Immersion Program: The Case of Odyssey Charter School.- 7. Promoting Heritage, Ethnicity, and Cultural Identity in Diasporic Communities: The Case of the Heritage Greece Program.- 8. Conclusion: When We Were Greek.