Make sure kids have time. Limit extracurricular activities and help students budget time for long projects. That way they're not working on a paper at the last minute, when it's easier to give in to the temptation to cheat.
Prize learning over grades. "The objective shouldn't be just getting work done," said The Center for Academic Integrity's Timothy Dodd. "There needs to be a consistent message that learning is valued and honest learning is the only route."
Don't think good students don't cheat. "The pressure and competition to get into colleges — even the UW — is really intense," said Lake Washington High School's Lis Christiansen. "You've got kids doing everything in their power to get the best grade."
Read papers before students turn them in. Don't edit — or, worse, do the assignment — but take a brief look to make sure the writing and vocabulary sounds like your kid. If anything jumps out, ask where he or she got a phrase or idea.
Bring cheating to teachers' attention. Rutgers professor Don McCabe said a high-school math teacher forbade the use of certain functions on graphing calculators but was widely ignored. When a father relayed that his child felt compelled to cheat in order to keep up with other students, the teacher prohibited all calculator use during tests. Parents don't need to name names.
Show consequences. In McCabe's surveys, some students take the cynical view that cheating "is a skill that will serve me well when I get out into the real world," he said. But while some buy into the sense that society is "awash in scandal," they miss the follow-up that, for example, Enron officials went to jail, Dodd said. "The message should be, 'You will be found out and there will be enormous consequences for the wrong-doer,' " he said.
Stephanie Dunnewind, Seattle Times reporter
