How many high school students admit to cheating recently? Statistics show cheating is at an all time high.

No Stigma for Cheaters

In the past there was great shame attached to being a "cheater." Today, it seems to be accepted. A Duke University study shows that 75 percent of students admit to cheating. 90 percent of student admit to copying someone’s paper.

Denise Pope, adjunct professor in the School of Education at Stanford University says, "Nationally, 75 percent of all high school students cheat. But the ones who cheat more are the ones who have the most to lose, which is the honors and AP (advanced placement) students. Eighty percent of honors and AP students cheat on a regular basis." [Regan McMahan, San Francisco Gate.com, sfgate.com, September 9, 2007] Therefore, the better the student--the more likely they are cheating.

Students Feel Pressure

Students in high-pressure high schools are expected to get into "good" schools and have "good" grade point averages. One student is quoted as saying, "There’s so much pressure to get a good job, and to get a good job you have to get into a good school, and to get into a good school, you have to get good grades, and to get good grades you have to cheat." There is pressure to be in many activities and maintain a top grade point average. Students are overwhelmed with pressure and have little time. The result is cheating. When top students watch the honest kids struggle and get lower grades, they develop the philosophy of "cheat or be cheated."

Athletes Cheat, Too

A survey of nearly 5,300 high school athletes (2005 and 2006) by the Josephson Institute of Ethics in Los Angeles shows that 65 percent of high school athletes admit to cheating. Non-athletes cheat at 60%. The institute states that this difference is statistically significant. Varsity athletes cheat more than non-varsity. [Regan McMahan, San Francisco Gate.com, sfgate.com, September 9, 2007]

Some sports have more cheating. Girls in softball are more likely to cheat than those in other activities. Football, baseball and basketball athletes are more likely to cheat than students in other sports are. Track, golf and soccer athletes cheat less. Perhaps, athletes in football, baseball and basketball are more likely to be going for the athletic scholarships. Some states like Iowa have made stricter grade requirements to play sports. This could increase the pressure to cheat if a scholarship is at stake.

Coaches Teach Cheating

Coaches used to be outraged if student athletes misbehaved on the basketball floor. Now, some are actually teaching students how to cheat and beat the refs at their own game. Illegal moves and faking an injury are commonly taught by coaches. Winning is #1. How many students say it is acceptable for their coaches to teach them illegal moves?

• 43 percent of boys
• 22 percent of girls

Michael Josephson, of the Josephson Institute of Ethics, wonders if the win-at-any-cost in sports is spilling over into the classroom.

College Cheating

Denise Pope is concerned about drugs used on a college campus to assist students staying up all night to cram for a test. Ritalin and Adderall are controlled substances but students will ask a doctor for help focusing and then use the drugs to do better in school without having true attention problems. Pope has also noticed students using Ritalin to do better on the SAT tests. This is becoming a similar scandal to athletes taking steroids.

Odds Of Getting Caught

Josephson says that the odds of getting caught are not great.

• 2 percent get caught
• 1 percent get punished

With these odds, most consider taking the chance as worth it.

Technology Helps Cheating

Students can go on a computer and download research papers from

• Cheaters.com
• Schoolsucks.com
• Schoolpapers.com

Some schools use a scanning device to fight plagiarism called TurnItIn.com (Turn It In). They find that plagiarism occurs at about a 30 percent rate. [Regan McMahan, San Francisco Gate.com, sfgate.com, September 9, 2007] Again, the student that does his own work, writes his own research paper and produces a less quality product is less respected by teachers.

The Future

It shouldn’t be surprising that so many students don’t travel the higher road. The media is filled with movie stars that don’t follow rules and don’t seem to suffer many consequences. Politicians are caught with illegal funds and they merely return the money. There seems to be an attitude that it is okay unless I get caught. And, if I get caught it isn’t a big deal. Students are not that different than our adult society.

However, these students that view cheating as a way of life will be our future lawyers, CEOs, doctors, stockbrokers and government leaders. We should expect more Enron-type scandals and $50,000 in cash in freezers.

Related Articles: College Preparation--Good or Poor?, The Future of Education

Read previous articles on Educational Issues.

Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.