Guiding Students from Cheating and Plagiarism to Honesty and Integrity

Book excerpt: In the past, it was the struggling student who was more likely to cheat just to get by. Today, above-average college -bound students are just as likely to do so. This sequel to the eye-opening Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up Call (2000) is a call to arms for students, teachers, administrators, librarians, and parents to transpose school culture from one that ignores or tolerates cheating into one where every effort is made to value, encourage, and support honesty. First person accounts lend credence to a cornucopia of practical ideas and actions. No home, school, or library should be without at least one copy. Cheating continues to be a national epidemic. Here, Lathrop and Foss have produced a sequel to their 2000 eye-opener Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up Call. But where the first volume focused on honor codes and careful monitoring of student tests and written assignments, their latest work is a call to arms: students, teachers, administrators, librarians, and parents must make a concerted effort to change school culture from one that ignores or tolerates cheating into one where every effort is made to value, encourage, and support honesty. Each chapter offers quick and easy access to practical ideas and actions that can be taken off the page and into the classroom or home situation. Among these, first-person accounts dominate, with such compelling themes as Why I Didn't Cheat, Policies That Support Honest Students, and Student Whistleblowers. It is a myth that the struggling students are the ones who are more likely to cheat just to get by. The above-average, college-bound students are just as likely to do so as they compete for scholarships and college admission. No home, school, or library should be without at least one copy of this book.