High School Students Steal and Cheat!

The recent headline just screamed at me. A recent study by the Josephson Institute of randomly selected high school students, both public and private showed students cheat on tests. 64% of the students surveyed said they had cheated on a test while 38% had cheated two or more times. 30% of students said they had stolen something from a store in the past year. 36% had used the internet to plagiarize an assisgnment and 42% have lied to sometimes save money. Unbelieveable!!! While educators agree the intense competition is a driving factor in students cutting corners, the greater concern is the apathetic about ethics. (See Tomatoes and Lettuce blog.) So, where is the “just do the right thing” commitment – – in all walks of life and learning. What messages have we sent as business leaders and elected officials to our youth? Kinda makes you sad. The end-of-article staggering statistic was that 93% of the students were satisfied with their personal ethics and character and 77% affirmed that “when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.”

Unbievable!!!