Up in the mornin’ and out to school
The teacher is teachin’ the Golden Rule
American history and practical math
You study’ em hard and hopin’ to pass
—Chuck Berry, School Days

These words from an old song reflect a nostalgic view of how high school ought to be—doing your best and working for a good grade. Yet the reality of school often is quite different.

Stealing answers or copying someone else’s work—some students probably have cheated since schools started handing out grades. While cheating may be nothing new, it has become more common and often uses new technology. Parents and school officials face the hard question of what to do about dishonesty and the shortcuts to success that many students take.

Many students see the world as a harsh place where people do whatever it takes to get ahead. If young people believe that cheating can make the difference between winning and losing in life, they may see little reason not to take the “easy route.” ³

New Methods

The old ways of cheating—using crib notes, whispering answers, and copying homework—are alive and well. Some students don’t bother cheating at their desks—instead, they make sure to be absent on test day so they can get the questions from friends before taking a makeup exam. These simple schemes still account for a large share of today’s cheating.

However, cheating also has gone high-tech. Students seeking an edge in their schoolwork are taking cheating to new levels using computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and powerful calculators. At home or in computer labs, students can find conclusions, well-written text, and even whole term papers to drop into their assignments without showing where the work came from. In class, students can use phones and PDAs to retrieve stored information, get it from the Internet, or send it to a friend. During an exam, one student can send a friend the answers while they both take the test.

High-tech cheating creates a vicious circle. As technology advances and students get better at using the latest devices, teachers and school officials find it harder to keep up with cheaters. The more that cheating goes uncaught, the freer students feel to do it.

Many Reasons

Why do so many students cheat? Is it because they are lazy or the subject matter is hard to grasp? While these motives surely fuel much of the cheating among students, the problem is not confined to low-achieving and unmotivated students. Boys, girls, athletes, smart kids, student leaders, and those with “strong religious beliefs”—cheating is common among most types of students.⁴

A need to succeed. Pressure for grades—to win parents’ approval and gain admission to colleges—leads many students to cheat. While many students are pushed to succeed by parents and a grade-based system that starts naming winners at an early age, students also feel pulled by a desire to get on a path to top colleges and high-paying jobs.⁵

Hazy standards. You may think that cheating is a clear matter of right and wrong—a student’s work should be his own. Yet, for many students, cheating is a fuzzy idea. Some think it is okay to work together on an assignment. Confusion rises as schools and teachers emphasize teamwork.⁶

The ease of finding information on the Internet and pasting it into one’s homework also blurs the line between research and lifting someone else’s words.⁷ One study found that 3 in 10 college students saw nothing wrong with this practice.⁸

Lack of time. Getting up early to get to school, staying late with teams and clubs, having a job, and doing homework at night means a full schedule for many teens. As a result, they may be tempted to cheat to give themselves more time for a social life or to sleep.

Lack of interest. Some students may cheat because they simply don’t like schoolwork, but for many, the decision to cut corners may be more subtle. A student who is interested in math may not care much about history. Another—attracted to art, literature, or languages—may not be inclined to put much effort into a science class. As a result, a student who is bored by a subject or thinks it has no bearing on her life may view cheating as a harmless way to save time and avoid a headache while getting a better grade.

Continue to page 2