Todays New York Times, in a front-page story, takes a look at an effort by WestportҒs Staples High School to cut down on student cheating, something it says exists all over the country.
Excerpt: A Crystal Rock water bottle is Exhibit A in a campaign to reduce cheating here at Staples High School, a bastion of affluence, academic achievement and unrelenting pressure to succeed.
ӓThe label of the bottle had been peeled off, the history of atomic theory printed on the back and the label restored in preparation for a chemistry test. The test taker hoped for a handy crib sheet indeed, it was even magnified by the water.
דBut it also turned out to be easily visible to the teacher, who was more alert than he was at this time last year and gave the student a failing grade.
Cheating was not often discussed here until last spring, when two incidents forced Westport to confront a problem that exists all over the country and is growing worse every year.Ӕ
