Kids and Cheating, 2001

College campuses are not the only place where students cheat. A recent survey of high school students done by Duke University's Center for Academic Integrity found that cheating is widespread there as well (see www.academicintegrity.org). About 4,500 students from public and private schools across the country responded, and 72 percent reported one or more instances of "serious cheating" on written work. Donald L. McCabe, a Rutgers University professor affiliated with the center, also found that 97 percent of students said that they had committed at least one "questionable activity," such as copying homework or copying from others during a test.

"I think what's really going on is the way students define what constitutes cheating today," says McCabe. "There's this attitude that it's no big deal." It's a good bet that there's more cheating today than 20 years ago, he adds.

The Net brings up another side of the problem. An alarming 15 percent of students reported submitting a paper obtained in large part from a term-paper mill or Web site. "Kids today will say about the Internet, 'Don't try to argue that using it is cheating, it's a good research tool,'" McCabe says. More troubling, some kids shared that they felt that many teachers occasionally ignore cheating.

So what, if anything, can adults do? "We're partly to blame," reasons McCabe, referring to educators, parents, and society in general. "We're not helping them understand. Getting teachers to let students know they care about the issue is an important first step." Many high schools are looking to technology and anti-plagiarism sites for help. McCabe, however, believes old-fashioned ethics and honor codes are more effective. "The Center for Academic Integrity was something that started on my dining room table, and now we have more than 200 schools as members, mostly colleges and universities," he notes. "Hopefully, we can catalyze an effort on the high school level and get people talking."