Education
Education

Are schools throwing in towel on cheating?

Surveys indicate many students cheat on tests, copy homework or plagiarize their term papers. Is there any hope of reversing this? (AJC File)
Surveys indicate many students cheat on tests, copy homework or plagiarize their term papers. Is there any hope of reversing this? (AJC File)
By Maureen Downey
April 21, 2017

Does everybody cheat?

When you look at survey results of high school and college students, it appears cheating has become not only widespread, but openly acknowledged.

A survey of 24,000 students at 70 high schools found 64 percent admitted to cheating on a test, and 58 percent owned up to plagiarism. Overall, 95 percent said they had cheated, whether on a test or by plagiarizing material or copying homework.

The assumption weaker students are more likely to cheat has been challenged in surveys done by the California Department of Education and Who’s Who Among American High Schools. The findings indicated top students may cheat more than peers, possibly because of the arms race to get into elite colleges.

To read more about cheating, including a survey done at a local high school, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.

About the Author

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.

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