Honor Code Synthesis Essay

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My school would greatly benefit from the application of an honor code as long as such a code is approved by the student body. Such an honor code would bring about students to reconsider their actions before cheating on a test. This is because an honor code has the ability to create a culture among students which discourages cheating. Also, including harsh punishments within the honor code would dishearten students from cheating out of fear of potential consequences. Schools which have not benefited from honor codes are very different from Classical, and therefore do not prove that an honor code would be ineffective at Classical. Properly implementing an honor code at Classical High School will reduce academic dishonesty and create an environment …show more content…

An honor code can be so effective that “many schools with academic honor codes allow students to take their exams without proctors present, relying on peer monitoring to control cheating” (Source F). Despite this system, there is research that “indicates that the significantly lower levels cheating” (Source F) at schools with honor codes. This is possible because there is a peer culture that denounces cheating, making kids embarrassed to commit academic dishonesty. Such a peer culture was formed by educating the students about the value of academic dishonesty. Subsequently, the attempts made by schools with honor codes to promote the value of academic integrity have proven that when properly implemented, an honor code can be highly …show more content…

For example, at the University of Virginia, “157 students have been investigated by their peers in the largest cheating scandal in memory,” despite their implementation of an honor code (Source D). However, not only is the University of Virginia a college, but they also consist of tens of thousands of students. On the other hand, Classical is a high school that is populated by approximately 1,100 students. Implementing an honor code at a smaller school is much easier because it requires less effort to educate the entire student body of the value of academic honesty. Therefore, just because an honor code failed at the University of Virginia, it does not mean it will fail at Classical. Classical High School would benefit significantly from an honor code, despite the failures of other