I am inspired by the approach to cheating Bruce has described. It is realistic about the facts and probabilities (70% of kids cheat so we should expect that a lot of our kids will cheat and we should prepare ourselves for that). It takes an educational stance – we are here to guide, teach, and ensure that our students learn, not primarily to police and punish. And it has a dramatic consequence for the cheating behavior in the high stakes junior and senior years – school and student informing the college during the admissions process.
I like a discussion of ethical behavior that takes this developmental approach. Students are in school to learn how to live ethical lives. Lots of them will make poor choices. Dealing with poor choices is a process of individual guidance rather than only trying to think up and enforce good policies for everyone. Not that you can't use a good policy if you're smart enough to come up with one, like the reporting to colleges.
