Christian Weishaar

With the intention of guiding students along a path of academic honesty and integrity, the establishment of an honor code in a number of schools has shown to be unsuccessful in developing core values.   These standards are put in place to encourage the characteristics of a “good student”; that is: honest, hardworking and trustworthy.  Such qualities are commonly taught in schools everywhere, but not always followed.  The honor code seems to merely set the standards that schools have for their students.  Beyond that, they provide little motivation for students to refrain from cheating in order to make the grade.  One built on integrity and honesty is able to enforce its codes effectively.  It is crucial that students know what is expected of them, just as it is important for citizens to know how they are expected to behave in society.  Though important in establishing expectations for students, the honor code has shown to have little impact on those in schools that emphasize exceptional grades and academic competition, as it often exceeds honesty, though it can also be effective for those who balance the two, enforcing integrity more efficiently.

The importance of getting good grades has driven many students to do whatever it takes to do well in school. Many students hold the idea that their grades are more important than their integrity.  Schools have unintentionally implanted similar ideas into the minds of students, emphasizing that good grades are important to success.  The thought that good grades are needed to get into a good school and a good school is needed to be successful plagues the minds of students.  In turn, it drives them to do whatever they must to compete and succeed.  With competition with fellow students being all a class thinks about, cheating is more likely to occur, causing academic dishonesty to spread like a virus.

In an environment nurtured not solely by both academic excellence and character of the person, students are less likely to act dishonestly.  The effects contrast with the chain reaction caused by students cheating; in many cases students follow the example of the peers.  It is easier to seriously take on academic honesty when surrounded by others who embrace it. Many schools fail to properly encourage it because they police honor codes rather than embrace and encourage it into the school environment.

Honor codes are necessary at all schools in order to set standards for all students, but those that enforce them most effectively do so by developing a community built on not only academic success but honesty and integrity.