Bob CollinsThis one writes itself.
Says the Associated Press:
In the past year, 30 percent of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64 percent have cheated on a test, according to a new, large-scale survey suggesting that Americans are too apathetic about ethical standards.
Educators reacting to the findings questioned any suggestion that today’s young people are less honest than previous generations, but several agreed that intensified pressures are prompting many students to cut corners.
Sixty-four percent cheat? There are some standardized tests where the barely 64-percent passed!
ONe of the questions asked kids to respond to the assertion that “in sports, if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying hard enough.” Thirteen percent of boys agreed. But the real question is how what percentage of that percentage is on the team?
Perhaps more disturbing than the numbers is the ease with which some education officials dismissed them. Perhaps it’s not really about the “pressures society puts on them.”
The survey was done by the Josephine Center at the Institute for Youth Ethics. They were smart enough to ask the kids if they were being honest in answering the questions. Almost 30 percent said “no.”
