The latest survey conducted by the Josephson Institute reported that cheating is on the rise among students in the U.S.
According to the study, sixty-four percent of students cheated on a test in the past year and 38 percent did so two or more times, up from 60 percent and 35 percent in a 2006 survey. Thirty-six percent said they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment, up from 33 percent in 2004.
There is a cheating crisis in our schools, and the problem is not confined to low-achieving or unmotivated students. Cheating is common among most types of students—boys, girls, athletes, smart kids, student leaders, even those with "strong religious beliefs." Why are so many students cheating?
Malcolm and Laura Gauld have led the way in character education for three decades as president and head of Hyde Schools, high schools in Maine, Connecticut, Washington DC, and Bronx, New York. Hyde school's "Attitude over Aptitude" philosophy has been featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes, ABC’s 20/20, and PBS.
They are award-winning authors of the book The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have, and the parenting seminars that emerged from it. The Gaulds have been speaking about cheating for years and have addressed it in their work.
“Our culture has become preoccupied with achievement,” the Gaulds explain. “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.”
But there are serious ramifications to ‘winning at any cost,’ according to Laura—including lack of character in students, and also the lack of self-esteem.
“Never kid a kid,” Malcolm says. “They will never misread our true expectations of them. They know we have created an educational system that values their aptitude more than their attitude, their ability more than their effort, and their talent more than their character. They are surrounded by signs that tell them that what they can do is more important than who they are.”
Unfortunately, an environment that values only achievement can make it extremely easy for test scores and awards to lure good kids into a false sense of fulfillment. This is not the genuine self-esteem that is earned from the learning process—which includes mistakes and some hardship—and it can leave kids feeling empty.
“In a character culture, achievement is valued, but principles are valued more,” says Laura. “That is, what you stand for is more important than merely how you stack up against others.”
In addition to this pressure for external achievements, Malcolm Gauld identifies another debilitating grip on today’s kids, which is the result of a prevalent mindset in our homes, schools, and culture, that asserts that kids need to feel good about themselves all of the time.
“Applied to education, this mindset seems to say, ‘If we make kids feel good about themselves, they will do great things,’” explains Malcolm. “But, in fact, it’s the other way around. When kids do well, and do it honestly, they will feel good about themselves.”
“Character is inspired, not imparted,” Malcolm continues. “We cannot pour it into our kids or our families. Self-esteem—real, authentic self-esteem—is essential, and once earned, it can never be taken away. Our children should graduate from schools with a healthy amount of it.”
For more information, complete bios and photos, contact Rose Mulligan, 207-443-7379, or rrmulli@yahoo.com.
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