“A must read! I plan on sharing this eBook with my staff and our district-level character education steering committee. There are so many practices I want to implement tomorrow to help our students become ethical decision makers. I especially appreciated the integrity and honesty exercises to help our students develop their character muscles."
“What a great resource for teachers! My school is currently working on our AI policy, and the recommendations in this eBook will prove helpful. My favorite section is the Additional Resources. A teacher’s most valuable commodity is time, and we all love it when someone does the legwork for us and finds just what we need.”
Dr. Julia Brady
Dr. Matt Davidson
Nicole Diehl
Dr. Mary Gentile
Maribeth Hall
Janet Holland
Lindsay Jovanovich
Ineke Kerkhofs
Justyn Knox Burgess
Debra Minieri
Cynthia Mitchell
Tamra Nast
Dr. Larry Nucci
Dr. Brendan Petersen
Lori Soifer
Dr. Jason Stephens
Dr. William Trusheim
Dr. David Wangaard
Our mission is to cultivate the importance of character throughout society.
Founded in 1993, Character.org is widely known for our 11 Principles Framework for Schools: A Guide to Cultivating a Culture of Character
During the past 20 years, more than 1,200 schools have been recognized by Character.org as a National School of Character. Our vision is a future where people everywhere – in our classrooms, boardrooms, and living rooms – are more ethical, civic-minded, and caring.
www.character.org
Published in 2025 by Character.org. All rights reserved.
To request permission to reproduce or transmit any part of this publication, please contact us at info@character.org.
Heather Cazad Khrystyna Kebas
On behalf of the Character.org board and staff, we are honored that The School for Ethical Education provided us with a grant to research, write, and publish this free eBook. Our hope is that this publication will be a transforming resource for thousands of K-12 school leaders looking for strategies and approaches to foster honesty and integrity in their classrooms and schools.
One of our first steps when starting the research process was to review each application from the 73 schools Character.org recognized as a ofCharacter
Overall, 36 of the 73 schools had integrity, honesty, or trustworthiness as one of their core values. More specifically, 21 listed integrity, 16 listed honesty, and 11 listed trustworthiness. (Several schools included two of the three in their list of cor
However, when I reread their School of Character applications for specific language or examples related to these three core values, there was very little included. Far more was written about how each school had recently launched a new school-wide initiative on kindness and empathy or brought in a guest speaker to talk about respect. There were exceptions, for sure, but for the most part, there was integrity, or trustworthiness.
I wanted to understand why. I decided to interview fifteen educators – ranging from teachers and counselors to school administrators – who are currently working in schools we recently recognized as a National School of Character.
Here’s what I learned:
- Most administrators were aware that they don't have in place programs, initiatives, or practices that intentionally focus on honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. I can’t tell you how many times I heard, “Arthur, that’s why it’s so important for Character.org to publish this eBook.”
- When it comes to praising students, it’s far easier for teachers to recognize a student for being kind than being honest.
- Most schools have a reactive approach to honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. When a student lies, steals, or cheats, teachers, counselors, or assistant principals will surely integrate honesty and integrity as part of the school's restorative practices or discipline approach. But most schools do not have a proactive approach to honesty, integrity, or trustworthiness, or if they do, it's not robust.
- Honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness do not often come up in staff conversations.
- Parents are not asking schools to place more emphasis on honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness.
- Finally, several educators shared with me that an increasing number of students –especially students in middle school and high school – simply don't care about the consequences of lying, stealing, or cheating. One middle school educator told me that a student recently said to her "Go ahead, call my mom."
My hope is that the practices, strategies, and approaches in Fostering Honesty and Integrity in Schools will inspire and equip school leaders – at all grade levels – to more intentionally integrate honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness into their school-wide character initiatives.
I am also hopeful this publication will be useful for schools striving to become a National School of Character. We’ve worked hard to provide grade-level tips and suggestions on how an “ethical lens” can be applied to the 11 Principles, whether it’s (approaches to academic integrity), Principle 6.1 (integrating ethical dilemmas into the academic curriculum), or Principle 7.1 (encouraging students to develop their own moral compass).
A quick aside about the term “ethical lens.” Several educators I spoke to told me that some of their colleagues get defensive whenever someone uses the word “ethics” or “ethical.” They think these are code words for religion or politics. This misconception needs to be put to rest. The word “ethics” refers to the universal principles – such as honesty, fairness, and respect – that motivate all of us to be
For example, when a student makes an ethical decision, she has reasoned that being fair or following the Golden Rule is more important than what she may selfishly want or
I also need to underscore that I don't think all students are compulsive liars who repeatedly steal or cheat. Just the opposite. Most students are honest, show up on time, and care about others. Finally, I also want to highlight the few exceptions that prove the rule. There have been times throughout history, say during the height of Nazism, when a person needed to lie to keep someone alive. Or someone has lied to shield a child from emotional trauma. These rare, ethically complex situations are important for us to
. This section also emphasizes the “developmental sensitivity” of these behaviors. We know from research that how a first grader thinks about and decides to be honest can be far different than why an 11th grader makes a choice to be honest or dishonest.
is titled “How to Help Students Develop an Integrity Mindset.” This section features five evidence-based “insights” that offer educators a roadmap to inspire their students to develop their own ethical identity.
focuses on strategies that elementary schools can use to foster honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. This section includes specific tips that connect to our 11 Principles Framework
is filled with suggestions and strategies for middle schools. Once again, the section includes tips that overlap with our 11 Principles Framework. is for high school educators. The section includes how critical it is for high school students to reflect on the ethical principles they want to live by, especially when facing peer, parent, or performance pressure. This section also provides tips that overlap with our 11 Principles Framework.
focuses on strategies that elementary schools can use to foster honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. This section includes specific tips that connect to our 11 Principles Framework.
focuses on how teachers, at all grade levels, can integrate ethical dilemmas into their classroom.
offers teachers and school leaders an easy-to-use guide to help students, especially during middle school and high school, navigate AI with an ethical lens.
is a reservoir of additional resources, ranging from videos and books to K-12 resources that focus on honesty and integrity.
I encourage you to reach out to me after you have read A Proactive Approach to Fostering Honesty and Integrity in Schools. I’d love to know what sections and tips were most helpful to you and your school.
Together, let’s imagine a future where students of all ages are forming their own moral compass and self-guiding commitments that enable them to be honest and trustworthy, even during the inevitable storms of life.
Dr. Arthur Schwartz President, Character.org arthur@character.org
Why Students Lie
Researchers tell us that children begin to lie around age 3. During the pre-school years (ages 4-5), students will lie to conceal misconduct. As they get older, children begin to realize that being good at lying requires them to match their facial expressions to their words. They learn how to show an expression that says, “I have no idea how that could have happened.”
By middle school, children have developed the ability to tell a lie by making up an elaborate and often convincing story.
It is important to note that some students, especially those prone to anxiety, will lie to remove themselves from a tense situation. Children also lie out of impulsivity.
[ 1 ] This section was inspired by Dr. Debra Cohen’s articles for Character.org’s “Ethics in Action” series, written in 2022. The series was made possible by a grant from The School for Ethical Education.
Most children, however, lie for other reasons, including:
#1 To avoid getting into trouble or being punished
#2 To meet high expectations
#3 To fit in or impress their peers
#4 To protect a friend
#5 To feel better about themselves
#6 To receive an award or recognition
#7 As a defense mechanism when confronted by an angry or intimidat
#8 To get even with someone who has mistreated them
#9 To avoid doing something they don’t want to do
“I learned from my teachers at my elementary school that it's okay to make mistakes, but it's not okay to lie about them.”
-High school student
Why Students Steal
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists (AACAP) tells us it is normal for very young children (ages 2-4) to steal. Some children at this age do not truly understand that taking something that belongs to another person is wrong. Some very young children may take something they want without realizing their care provider needs to pay for the item or that the item belongs to someone else.
During ages 5-9, children who steal often struggle with self-control, even when they cognitively know that taking something that does not belong to them is wrong. Children during this age are also far more motivated to satisfy their own immediate needs and self-gratification than to follow rules or norms. Unfortunately, children at this age may mimic stealing behaviors they observe from their older siblings or caregivers.
During the pre-teen and teen years, stealing is linked to a var other reasons, including:
#1 To be accepted by their peers
#2 To demonstrate bravery or to show off
#3 For the thrill of it
#4 To give a present to a friend or family member
#5 As a form of rebellion
#6 To get money for something they want
#7 Because they cannot afford to pay for it
Approximately 66% of adults who acknowledge stealing during their lifetime reported
According to the International Center for Academic Integrity’s most recent students across multiple university campuses and U.S. high schools, cheating still occurs – at an alarming rate. Of the 70,000 high school students surveyed:
64% admitted to cheating on a test
58% admitted to plagiarism
95% participated in some form of cheating
Clearly, cheating is a widespread and pervasive issue and one that needs to be addressed by school administrators and educators.
Cheating can take several forms. Individual cheating includes using cheat sheets during assessments, copying work from another student without permission, or copying material from AI without citing the source and submitting it as the student’s own [For more on AI, see Section 8].
Collective cheating can include students working together on an assignment when the instructor clearly specified individual work, helping others cheat, or copying from another student with their permission. Contract cheating refers to students completing their assignments with the help of a third party. According to academic firm this could include a friend or family member completing work on a student’s behalf or students purchasing completed assignments through“essay mills.”
There are many reasons students choose to cheat, including:
#1 Confusion about what constitutes cheating
#2 Time pressure
#3 Peer pressure
#4 Performance pressure (competition for grades)
#5 Fear of failure or making mistakes
#6 Parent or caregiver pressure
#7 The belief that “everyone’s doing it”
#8 Poor relationship with the teacher
#9 The belief they won’t get caught
“I first truly understood the power of honesty when I was in mi school. When I was taking a math test, I could see other studen cheating and, for a moment, I considered doing the same. But something inside me held me back. I finished the test, and thou was uncertain of the outcome, I was proud of my integrity. I felt a sense of pride knowing that, unlike others, I was honest to myself and that the grade would truly reflect who I was.”
-7th grade student
Did you know?
Researchers who study unethical behavior have developed a concept called “moral disengagement theory.”
In short, moral disengagement is a practice of self-deceit.
These researchers have also compiled the different reasons people use to rationalize their actions, even to the point where they no longer believe that their behavior was unethical. Most of us have, in our minds, twisted our actions to protect our self-image or to enhance our self-interest.
Here are seven statements people often use to persuade themselves that it’s okay to lie, steal, or cheat:
“My
“I
don’t want my friends to think I’m a goody-two-shoes”
boss doesn’t care about me…and I don’t care about my boss”
Do you ever talk about self-deception with your students?
For some students, it’s a lot easier (and self-serving) to lie than to tell the truth. So why would they ever choose to be honest?
We often think students lie because they want to avoid getting in trouble or being punished. If so, then why do some students show integrity even when they’re confident they could lie, steal, or cheat and not get caught?
Younger children may “do the right thing” because they have been taught to follow the rules. But as kids get older, complying with adult-imposed norms and rules becomes less important. They begin testing the rules. For a lot of pre-teens and teens, fitting in with friends becomes their new battle cry. Sometimes that will mean lying, stealing, or cheating (Who hasn’t fallen into that “to get along, go along” gap?).
Clearly, parents and schools need to establish rules against lying, stealing, and cheating. But fostering honesty and integrity requires a lot more than just explaining, modeling, and reinforcing longstanding norms. What’s needed is a deeper engagement that involves students.
So, let’s begin with the end in mind. Here at Character.org, we believe a noble mission for all educators is to inspire and equip every student to:
Be honest
-
- Keep their promises Practice integrity by being reliable and trustworthy
- Learn from their mistakes
- Feel good about themselves when they chose the “harder right” t “easier wrong”
It’s not easy. Developing integrity isn’t as simple as downloading a moral compass app.
Below we highlight five evidence-based insights that offer educators a roadmap to inspire and equip students to develop their own honesty and “in
Students need to “own” their values and beliefs
Starting in the upper elementary grades, we know from follow rules for reasons that extend beyond meeting the expectations of adults or the fear of getting in trouble and being punished. By middle school, students have developed the reasoning skills to explain why lying, stealing, or cheating is wrong. But “knowing” is far different than “caring” about being a person who is honest and shows integrity.
Caring is when students say to themselves, “I want to be an honest person who people can trust.” We know from research that what we care about generates emotional fuel and energy to act on our beliefs. During the pre-teen and teen years, this is the transition from “rule-based” to “belief-based” behavior. In sum, during the middle school and high school years, students are forming their own ethical identity, a selfdetermining identity that fuses together their cognitive and emotional beliefs.
Self-interest remains a powerful motivator for many pre-teens and teens. However, at this age, when faced with the pressure to lie, steal, or cheat, students are beginning to listen to an “inner voice” that reminds them that honesty and integrity are two beliefs at the very core of their emerging identity.
Here is one question for your school to consider: Have school leaders ever discussed the extent to which the staff should proactively encourage students to make “belief-based” choices rather than “rule-based” choices?
In what ways do the concepts of an “inner voice” and forming an ethical identity resonate with your personal experience or your experience as a parent or educator? In what ways do these concepts not resonate with your experience?
Leverage the power of commitment
There is enduring wisdom in the saying “if memory is the mental organ of our past, commitment is the mental organ of our future.” We all make commitments, whether to family, friends, career, physical fitness, faith, or to a team or group. In so many ways, we are our commitments.[2]
Our commitments are usually heartfelt and emotionally grounded. Most of us care – and often care deeply – about maintaining fidelity to our commitments. We endow our commitments with significant meaning and noble purpose. We also know from that people with high commitment perform better than those with low commitment (at school or in the workplace).
Of course, there are some people who too readily break their commitments, almost habitually so. But there are also people of all ages who can only be described as “commitment prodigies.” These individuals seem to effortlessly make and keep their commitments with exceptional resoluteness.
We all have been moved by inspiring stories of commitment found in history, biographies, and sacred scriptures across religious traditions. Woven together, these various sources tell us that our commitments:
- Give us direction
- Motivate us
- Place demands on us
- Shape our behavior and conduct
- Help us know when to take a stand or show resolve
- Shape our notions of accomplishment or achievement
- Offer us meaning and purpose
- Form and shape our identity
- Develop our character
[ 2 ] Insight #2 was inspired by a research article written in 2017 by Dr. Arthur Schwartz for the Journal of Character and Leadership Development. The article is titled “The Call of Commitment: Implications for the Direction and Intensity of Our Leader Behaviors and Actions.”
Our challenge as educators is to encourage students to make an intentional commitment to honesty and integrity. Clearly, this declaration needs to be made in a way that is both authentic and meaningful to each student.
Here are two suggestions for your school to consider:
( 1 )
( 2 )
Invite each student to create their own honesty/integrity self-affirmation. We know from research that self-affirmations serve as psychological resources that help us cope with threats to being honest or a person of integrity. Selfaffirmations also serve as a bulwark against the negative “chatter” in our mind. What’s key is encouraging each student to find and repeat an honesty/integrity affirmation that is meaningful to them, whether they saw the affirmation online or it’s a “keepsake” expression that a parent, older sibling, or grandparent says all the time. For example, how many of us have heard the expression, “honesty is the best policy”?
Create a classroom, team/club, or school-wide honesty/integrity pledge or oath. Some middle and high schools use an Honor Code to reinforce the importance of academic integrity. Other schools have a peer-to-peer program that offers new students the opportunity to learn from their peers why honesty and integrity are important to the school’s culture and shared core values. For example, one school has the motto, “We do the right thing even when no one is looking.” Another school has a school-wide pledge that students say every day during morning announcements: “I will show a positive attitude…, always do my best, and strive to do what’s right. I will respect myself and others. Today and
Do you have an honesty or integrity self-affirmation that you repeat to yourself during those moments when you are being challenged or pressured? What commitments have you made to orient and shape your
Elementary School
Overview
Imagine a 2nd grader named Jalen talking with his grandfather, and during their time together Jalen says, “Grandpop, I am a person of integrity.” This was the first time the grandfather ever heard Jalen use that word, so he asked his grandson if he knew the meaning of integrity. “Grandpop, of course I do. Integrity is one of my school’s core values.” Jalen goes on to tell his grandfather that last week, he was walking in the school hallway, and he heard someone call out his name. He turned around, and it was the school principal. The principal looked at Jalen and said, “Jalen, there is no one else in the hall, but you’re walking, not running. You’re staying on the line. You are a person of integrity.” [A grandfather affiliated with Character.org who later learned that the school is a National School of Character told us this story.]
This story reminds us that the elementary years are a critical time for students to learn about and practice the different character strengths that will help them flourish in life. For example, at the early grade levels (PreK-Grade 2), many schools focus on ensuring that students understand the classroom and school-wide rules and the reasons behind those rules. Indeed, research shows that 5–7-year-olds can understand the reasons for a range of ethical norms (including honesty, fairness, and respect).
Research also reveals that around age 8, students can begin to compare their behaviors to another person’s choices and begin to self-evaluate why they sometimes make choices that do not reflect the rules and norms of the classroom or school. Additionally, students at this age can consistently regulate their emotions (and desires) to resist deceiving others or to take an object from a classmate that they want.
We know from our Schools of Character applications that many elementary schools have implemented a host of evidence-based approaches and practices, ranging from introducing a grade-specific book on honesty to school-wide curricula on integrity and trustworthiness.
Below are five checkpoints to help strengthen and enhance your school’s intentional approach to fostering a culture of honesty and integrity. We also explain how each checkpoint connects to one or more of the “Five Insights” (highlighted in Section 3).
The staff takes the time each year to learn about and exchange ideas on new approaches, strategies, and practices to strengthen and enhance their school’s honesty and integrity initiative.
K-5 school leaders recognize that it is important for their students to be honest and show integrity. However, far fewer have developed intentional practices, programs, or activities that focus on these core values. For example, at the beginning of the new school year, one school we know gave every teacher and staff member a sweatshirt that read “Choose to Be Nice.” The school also recognized students each month who were practicing kindness and caring. But when was the last time you saw a sweatshirt that read “Choose to Be Honest”?
In sum, most elementary school teachers and administrators assume that their students are honest and show integrity. If there is a school-wide strategy in place, it’s usually focused on responding to students who have been caught lying, stealing, or cheating. In short, too many elementary schools only have a reactive approach to honesty and integrity.
So, what would a proactive approach look and sound like?
Here are 8 practices to consider:
- Form a professional learning committee that meets regularly to talk about how to cultivate a strong culture of honesty and integrity at the school.
- Committee members take the time to learn about and review current (and emerging) “honesty and integrity” approaches, strategies, and practices.
- Each year, committee members present suggestions and recommendations to the entire school staff, including one or two expected outcomes that will help the school assess the effectiveness of these new approaches, strategies, or practices.
- Provide time for staff to discuss the efficacy of these new practices and ultimately, agree to integrate the new approaches or practices recommended by the committee (and the suggested tools to measure impact).
- At least once a year, find ways to spotlight and communicate with families and other stakeholders what the school is doing to emphasize honesty and integrity as part of their comprehensive character initiative.
- Staff have authentic discussions throughout the year on the importance of all adults in the building to practice and model honesty and integrity with each other, all students, as well as to families and other stakeholders.
Staff also discuss the reasons why no adult in the building should ever ignore when a student is lying, stealing, or cheating.
As part of an annual culture and climate survey, anonymously survey students to learn the extent to which students are lying, stealing, and cheating.
A set of core values is selected, defined, embedded, and modeledthroughouttheschoolculture.
Does your school have honesty, integrity, or trustworthiness as a core value? If not, why?
The school takes proactive steps to become a learning community, always on the lookout for new structures, approaches, and activities that will strengthen and enhancetheschool’scomprehensivecharacterinitiative.
Is your school committed to identifying new practices to emphasize honesty and integrity – or does your school focus more attention and resources on other core values?
The staff exchange ideas on the most developmentally appropriate strategies, approaches, and practices that encourage students to develop and internalize their own moralcompass.
Does your staff discuss the best intrinsic strategies to encourage students to develop and internalize their own moral compass?
The school annually assesses the progress of its comprehensive character initiative and makes changes basedontheinformationcollected.
Does your staff ask each other: “How do we know that what we’re doing is working (related to fostering honesty and integrity)?”
Students at your school learn about and discuss the different reasons why some students lie, steal, and cheat.
This checkpoint is built on two important foundations. First, it’s critical for students at your school to know that the adults in the building understand and empathize with the different reasons why some students may lie, steal, or cheat. Mutual trust is critical. Of course, trust requires being dependable over time and not educators merely telling students to trust them. This checkpoint also enables teachers and staff to demonstrate and model that they are aware of the different pressures some students may be facing at home and at school.
Second, providing students with the opportunity to discuss the different reasons why students in elementary school lie, steal, and cheat is a critical first step to helping students resist not just the pressures they face, but also their own rationalizations. Even during the elementary years, students can rationalize their behavior by thinking “I’m not hurting anyone,” “Everybody is doing it,” or “My friends made me do it.”
Here are 5 practices to consider:
- Create a developmentally appropriate presentation (for students at all grade levels) on the different reasons why some students lie, steal, and cheat. [A list of reasons can be found in Section 2, “Why Students Lie, Steal, and Cheat”]
- Determine the best way for students to learn about and discuss the different reasons why students lie, steal, or cheat. For example, a presentation/discussion can be facilitated by the classroom teacher, the school counselor, or another staff member.
- Small group discussions should include: (1) the different ways that some elementary students rationalize their decision to lie, steal, or cheat; and (2) how these rationalizations serve to self-protect students from feeling uncomfortable or even considering steps they could have taken to make a different choice.
- Train older students (in middle school or high school) to facilitate small group discussions with elementary students on the different reasons why some students lie, steal, or cheat.
- Invite students to provide feedback, perhaps during a classroom meeting, on ways to improve and enhance the presentation and discuss the different reasons why some students lie, steal, or cheat.
Every student understands, cares about, and practices the corevaluesembeddedintheschoolcommunity.
What steps has your school taken to ensure that all students are reflecting on and learning about being honest and a person of integrity?
Theschoolprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestopractice and reflect on the character strengths that are shaping andformingtheirmoralcompass.
If your school provides opportunities for students to learn and discuss the different reasons why some students lie, steal, or cheat, how does your school connect these discussions with helping students form their moral compass?
The school staff empowers students to have a voice in creating the shared norms of the classroom and school culture,aswellastheirowncharactergrowth.
How does your school provide opportunities for students to set a character goal related to honesty and integrity?
Teachers and staff have: (1) equipped their students with the language and strategies to resist the pressures to lie, steal, or cheat; and (2) provided creative “workouts” for students to strengthen their honesty and integrity muscles.
At the heart of this Checkpoint is the approach discussed in Section 3, “How to Help Students Develop an Integrity Mindset.”
Here are 8 practices to consider:
- Develop an intentional approach for students to learn what it means to be a person of integrity (i.e., a person who is honest, keeps their promises, is reliable and trustworthy, learns from their mistakes, and feels good when they choose the “harder right” rather than the “easier wrong”).
- Encourage students to reflect on whether they care about being someone who is honest and shows integrity.
- Develop a creative approach to encourage students to make an intentional, personal commitment to honesty and integrity (rooted in their own personal story). Students learn how their personal commitment can serve as a cornerstone to be honest or show integrity, especially when their strength of will is being tested.
- Develop a range of “workouts” for students to exercise and strengthen their
- Provide opportunities for students to reflect on the ethical moments that are shaping who they are and who they are striving to become.
- Invite students to provide feedback on ways to improve and enhance the language and strategies to resist the pressures to lie, steal, or cheat.
The school provides opportunities for students to practice the core values so they become consistent habits of mind, heart,andchoices.
How frequently does your school provide students with opportunities to practice and strengthen their honesty and integrity muscles?
Theschoolprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestopractice and reflect on the character strengths that are shaping andformingtheirmoralcompass.
How frequently does your school provide opportunities for students to reflect on whether honesty and integrity are “North Stars” that serve to orient their
The school fosters character development by encouraging students to do the right thing for intrinsic rather than
How does your school help students recognize that they should do the right thing because that’s who they want to be, not simply to avoid getting into
Teachers have integrated honesty and integrity into their classroom culture and academic curriculum.
Teachers often wait for a teachable moment to talk to a student or an entire class about honesty and integrity. Indeed, teachable moments are essential and powerful tools of the teaching profession. However, this Checkpoint focuses on proactive steps teachers can take to ensure honesty and integrity are woven into both the academic curriculum and classroom culture.
Here are 6 strategies to consider:
- As a staff, establish a goal statement that encourages every adult in the building to model and reinforce the importance of honesty and integrity, and to speak up when a staff member falls short of this expectation.
- Develop a “new student orientation” that includes specific attention to the importance of honesty and integrity.
- Discuss how to integrate honesty and integrity into classroom culture.
- Teachers who teach the same subject (e.g., math, history) discuss how to integrate honesty and integrity into their lessons. For example, teachers frequently use examples of honesty and integrity from literature, history, science, and more.
-
-
Theschoolprovideseachstudentwiththeskillstopractice academic integrity, especially when feeling pressure to be dishonest.
Doesyourschoolhaveacomprehensiveapproachtoacademicinte
Has your school developed a tool that offers feedback from students on whether their teachers and staff are affirming and reinforcing the importanceofhonestyandintegrity?
The school offers a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that encourages all students to develop their characterstrengths.
Does your school use moral dilemmas as a tool to help students recognize theethicaldimensionofasituation?
School leaders have integrated the character strengths of honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness into their school’s discipline and restorative practices.
During the past two decades, and driven by data and professional experience, school leaders and teachers have significantly transformed their approach to student discipline. No longer is discipline simply transactional (i.e., punishing a student for breaking a school rule). Rather, at the heart of restorative practices is repairing trust and strengthening relationships.
Here are 5 strategies to integrate honesty and integrity into your school’s discipline and restorative practices:
- The restorative approach is developed in collaboration with teachers, staff, parents, and students.
- Ensure that all teachers and staff understand what steps to take when a student has lied, stolen, or cheated. (For many teachers, the first step is to talk to the student directly, using a problem-solving approach.)
- The restorative approach encourages students to reflect on and identify the root cause (or causes) that led them to lie, steal, or cheat.
- The restorative approach includes the ability for a student who has not acted with integrity or honesty to develop an individualized plan with staff. The plan includes opportunities for the student to practice the cognitive and emotional skills they will use the next time they feel the pressure to lie, steal, or cheat.
Annually examine policies to ensure that the school culture may not be causing students to lie, steal, or cheat.
Student behaviors and mistakes serve as opportunities to teachandreinforcecharacterdevelopment.
When a student has lied, stolen, or cheated, does your school have a discipline or restorative approach that empowers the student to develop the skillstheywillneedthenexttimetheyfaceasimilarsituationorpressure?
Middle School
Overview
Developmentally, middle school students are in the meaning-making stage of life. It’s during middle school when young people connect a set of core values and universal principles to their emerging sense of self. This is the age when children begin to talk about their ideal self – the kind of person they want to become.
Middle school students are also developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral skills to resist the pressures to lie, steal, and cheat. This is the moment when practicing positive self-talk – positive words and phrases that they say to themselves and others – will enable preteens to do the right thing for the right reasons (rather than doing the right thing to avoid getting into trouble).
In our research for this publication, one middle school teacher shared with us that she had a student named Jake who scored 100 on his math test. The teacher knew he was working hard to improve his math skills, so the teacher called his mom to let her know the good news. The next day, after class, Jake asked the teacher if they could talk. He then told her that a friend helped him during the test. After school, the teacher called the parent and learned that Jake had told his mom that he cheated. But what happened next was encouraging. The parent asked her son what he thought he should do. It was Jake's idea to talk to the teacher, not his mom’s idea.
In sum, middle school students are ready to form their own ethical identity that’s rooted in their self-determining beliefs (“I believe lying is wrong”).
Below are five checkpoints to help strengthen and enhance your school’s intentional approachtofosteringacultureofhonestyandintegrity.
The staff takes the time each year to learn about and exchange ideas on new approaches, strategies, and practices to strengthen and enhance their school’s honesty and integrity initiative.
We rarely hear about a middle school that has made honesty and integrity their #1 priority. Just the opposite: most teachers and administrators assume that their students are honest and show integrity. If there is a school-wide strategy in place, it’s usually focused on responding to students who have been caught lying, stealing, or cheating. In sum, most schools have a reactive approach to honesty and integrity.
So, what would a proactive approach look and sound like?
Here are 8 practices to consider:
- Form a professional learning committee that meets regularly to talk about how to cultivate a strong culture of honesty and integrity at the school.
- Committee members take the time to learn about and review current (and emerging) “honesty and integrity” approaches, strategies, and practices.
- Each year, have committee members present suggestions and recommendations to the entire school staff, including one or two expected outcomes that will help the school assess the effectiveness of these new approaches, strategies, or practices.
- Provide time for staff to discuss the efficacy of these new practices and ultimately, agree to integrate the new approaches or practices recommended by the committee (and the suggested tools to measure impact).
- At least once a year, find ways to spotlight and communicate with families and other stakeholders what the school is doing to emphasize honesty and integrity as part of their comprehensive character initiative.
- Staff have an authentic discussion on the importance of all adults in the building to practice and model honesty and integrity with each other, all students, as well as to families and other stakeholders.
- Staff also discuss the reasons why no adult in the building should ever ignore when a student is lying, stealing, or cheating.
- As part of an annual culture and climate survey, anonymously survey students to learn the extent to which students are lying, stealing, and cheating.
A set of core values is selected, defined, embedded, and modeledthroughouttheschoolculture.
Does your school have honesty, integrity, or trustworthiness as a core value? If not, why not?
The school takes proactive steps to become a learning community, always on the lookout for new structures, approaches, and activities that will strengthen and enhancetheschool’scomprehensivecharacterinitiative.
Is your school committed to identifying new practices to emphasize honesty and integrity – or does your school focus more attention and resources on other core values?
The staff exchange ideas on the most developmentally appropriate strategies, approaches, and practices that encourage students to develop and internalize their own moralcompass.
Does your staff discuss the best intrinsic strategies to encourage students to develop and internalize their own moral compass?
The school annually assesses the progress of its comprehensive character initiative and makes changes basedontheinformationcollected.
Does your staff ask each other: “How do we know that what we’re doing is working (related to fostering honesty and integrity)?”
Does your school find ways to ask students about the level of lying, stealing, and cheating at the school?
Students at your school learn about and discuss the different reasons why some students in middle school lie, steal, and cheat.
This checkpoint is built on two important foundations. First, it’s critical for students at your school to know that the adults in the building understand and empathize with the different reasons why students may lie, steal, or cheat. Mutual trust is critical. Of course, trust requires being dependable over time and not educators merely telling students to trust them. This checkpoint enables teachers and staff to demonstrate and model that they are aware of the pressures students face at home and at school.
Second, providing students with the opportunity to discuss the reasons why some students in middle school lie, steal, and cheat is a critical first step to helping students resist persistent pressures and their own rationalizations. During middle school, many students will rationalize their behavior by thinking “I’m not hurting anyone,” “everybody is doing it,” or “my friends made me do it.”
Here are 5 practices to consider:
- Create a developmentally-appropriate presentation (for students at all grade levels) on the different reasons why students in middle school lie, steal, and cheat. [A list of reasons can be found in Section 2, “Why Students Lie, Steal, and Cheat”]
Determine the best way for students to learn about and discuss the different reasons why students lie, steal, or cheat. For example, the “Different Reasons” presentation/discussion can occur in homeroom or a specific class. In addition, the presentation/discussion can be facilitated by the homeroom teacher, subjectmatter teacher, the school counselor, or another staff member.
- Small group discussions should include: (1) the different ways that students rationalize their decision to lie, steal, or cheat; and (2) how these rationalizations serve to self-protect students from feeling uncomfortable or even considering steps they could have taken to make a different choice.
- Invite high school students to facilitate small group discussions on the different reasons why students lie, steal, or cheat.
- Invite students to provide feedback on ways to improve and enhance the presentation and discussion on the different reasons why some students lie, steal, or cheat.
Every student understands, cares about, and practices the corevaluesembeddedintheschoolcommunity.
What steps has your school taken to ensure that all students are reflecting on and learning how to care – and care deeply – about being honest and a person of integrity?
Theschoolprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestopractice and reflect on the character strengths that are shaping andformingtheirmoralcompass.
If your school provides opportunities for students to learn and discuss the different reasons why some students lie, steal, or cheat, how does your school connect these discussions with helping students form their mora
The school staff empowers students to have a voice in creating the shared norms of the classroom and school culture,aswellastheirowncharactergrowth.
How does your school provide opportunities for students to set a character goal related to honesty and integrity?
Teachers and staff have: (1) equipped their students with the language and strategies to resist the pressures to lie, steal, or cheat; and (2) provided creative “workouts” for students to strengthen their honesty and integrity muscles.
At the heart of this Checkpoint is the language and approach discussed in Section 3, “How to Help Students Develop an Integrity Mindset.”
Here are 8 practices to consider:
Develop an intentional approach for students to learn what it means to be a “person of integrity” (i.e., a person who is honest, keeps their promises, is reliable and trustworthy, learns from their mistakes, and feels good when they choose the “harder right” than the “easier wrong”).
Create an intentional approach for students to grasp that it is time for them to go beyond knowing that lying, stealing, and cheating is wrong; they need to care about being someone who is honest and shows integrity.
Develop a creative approach to encourage students to make an intentional, personal commitment to honesty and integrity (rooted in their own personal story). Students learn how their personal commitment can serve as a cornerstone to be honest or show integrity, especially when their strength of will is being
- The small group discussions should include: (1) the different ways that students “rationalize” their decision to lie, steal, or cheat; and (2) how these rationalizations serve to “self-protect” students from feeling uncomfortable or even considering steps they could have taken to make a different choice.
- Create a range of “workouts” for students to exercise and strengthen their honesty and integrity muscles. These workouts help students develop their own action-guiding “scripts” that they can use when feeling challenged or pressured. The “workouts” (often using relatable scenarios) also provide opportunities for students to recognize the emotions they will experience when being tempted to lie, steal, or cheat.
- Create a range of school-wide ethical reminders (such as an image, symbol, pledge, or slogan) that consciously or unconsciously activate a student’s commitment to honesty and integrity.
- Have students create their own honesty/integrity self-affirmation: a saying or an expression that they repeat to themselves whenever they are being challenged or pressured.
- Provide opportunities for students to reflect on the ethical moments that are shaping who they are and who they are striving to become.
- Invite students to provide feedback on ways to improve and enhance how students are practicing the language and strategies to resist the pressures to lie, steal, or cheat.
Theschoolprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestopractice and reflect on the character strengths that are shaping andformingtheirmoralcompass.
How frequently does your school provide opportunities for students to reflect whether honesty and integrity are important “North Stars” that serve to orient their choices and decisions?
How frequently does your school provide students with opportunities to practice and strengthen their honesty and integrity muscles?
The school fosters character development by encouraging students to do the right thing for intrinsic rather than extrinsicreasons.
How does your school help students recognize that they should do the right thing not simply to avoid getting into trouble but because that’s who they want to be?
Teachers have integrated honesty and integrity into their classroom culture and academic curriculum.
Teachers often wait for a teachable moment to talk to a student or an entire class about honesty and integrity. Indeed, teachable moments are essential and powerful tools of the teaching profession. However, this Checkpoint is about how teachers can take proactive steps to ensure that honesty and integrity have been woven into the culture of their classroom as well as the academic curriculum.
Here are 6 strategies to consider:
Model and reinforce the importance of honesty and integrity by integrating them
Develop a new student orientation that includes specific attention to the importance of honesty and integrity. (Some schools invite older students to talk
Allow time for teachers in the same grade level to discuss how to integrate
Allow time for teachers across grade levels who teach the same subject (e.g., math, history) to discuss how to integrate honesty and integrity into their lessons. For example, teachers frequently use examples of honesty and integrity from
As a staff, review and select an approach to introduce and reinforce the principles of academic integrity. [Check out our “Additional Resources” section to learn more about the different academic integrity resources for middl
Communicate with parents and families how staff are: (1) reinforcing honesty and integrity as norms in every classroom; and (2) how honesty and integrity have
The school equips each student with the skills to practice academic integrity, especially when feeling pressure to be dishonest.
Does your school have a comprehensive approach to academic integrity?
Does your school have a process by which to assess that students report that their teachers and staff intentionally promote and affirm the importance of honesty and integrity?
The school offers a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that encourages all students to develop their
Does your school use ethical dilemmas as a tool to help students recognize
School leaders have integrated the character strengths of honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness into their school’s discipline and restorative practices.
During the past two decades, and driven by data and professional experience, school leaders and teachers have significantly transformed their approach to student discipline. No longer is discipline simply transactional (i.e., punishing a student for breaking a school rule). Rather, at the heart of restorative practices is repairing trust and
Here are 5 strategies to integrate honesty and integrity into your school’s discipline and restorative practices:
- The restorative approach is developed in collaboration with teachers, staff, parents, and students.
- Ensure that all teachers and staff understand what steps to take when a student has lied, stolen, or cheated. (For many teachers, the first step is to talk to the student directly.)
- The restorative approach encourages students to reflect on and identify the root cause (or causes) that leads them to lie, steal, or cheat.
- The restorative approach includes the ability for a student who has not acted with integrity or honesty to develop an individualized plan with staff. The plan includes opportunities for the student to practice the cognitive and emotional skills they will use the next time they feel the pressure to lie, steal, or cheat.
- Annually examine policies to ensure that the school culture may not be causing students to lie, steal, or cheat.
Student behaviors and mistakes serve as opportunities to teachandreinforcecharacterdevelopment.
When a student has lied, stolen, or cheated, does your school have a discipline or restorative approach that empowers the student to develop the
High School
Overview
“What were you thinking?” How many times have you asked a teen that question? For many parents and educators, it’s during the high school years when we wish we could give every teen a moral compass app to use whenever they are feeling the pressure to lie, steal, or cheat.
Yet it’s also during high school that teens have the cognitive and emotional capacity to internalize ethical values and behaviors. Developmentally, teens can say to themselves: “I value integrity, keeping my promises, and being honest.” We all know students at this age who were motivated to do the right thing because that’s who they want to be, even when they were in a situation where their integrity was being challenged.
Too many high school students are still motivated to be honest for extrinsic reasons (i.e., the fear of being punished). Other high school students are motivated to be honest to avoid inner feelings of shame or guilt.
Our goal as high school educators is to help students be motivated by the core values and ethical principles they intrinsically believe in and want to live by. Let’s envision a school culture where every high school student can explain and demonstrate how they have developed the skill to listen to an inner voice that reminds them that honesty and integrity are two beliefs at the very core of their ethical identity.
Below are five checkpoints to help strengthen and enhance your school’s intentional approachtofosteringacultureofhonestyandintegrity.
The staff take the time each year to learn about and exchange ideas on new approaches, strategies, and practices to strengthe and enhance their school’s honesty and integrity initiative.
The pressure on high school educators is enormous, whether it’s confronting our nation’s mental health crisis or the pressure for students to score high on standardized tests. Perhaps that’s why we rarely hear that a high school has made honesty and integrity their #1 priority. Just the opposite: most teachers and administrators assume that their students are honest and show integrity. If there is a school-wide strategy in place, it’s usually focused on responding to students who have been caught lying, stealing, or cheating. In sum, most high schools have in place a reactive approach to honesty and integrity, even though the students have admitted to cheating on tests.
So, what would a proactive approach look and sound like?
Here are 8 practices to consider:
- Form a professional learning committee that meets regularly to talk about how to cultivate a strong culture of honesty and integrity at the school.
- Committee members take the time to learn about and review current (and emerging) “honesty and integrity” approaches, strategies, and practices.
- Each year, have committee members present suggestions and recommendations to the entire school staff, including one or two expected outcomes that will help the school assess the effectiveness of these new approaches, strategies, or practices.
- Provide time for staff to discuss the efficacy of these new practices and ultimately agree to integrate the new approaches or practices recommended by the committee (and the suggested tools to measure impact).
- At least once a year, find ways to spotlight and communicate with families and other stakeholders what the school is doing to emphasize honesty and integrity as part of their comprehensive character initiative.
- Staff have authentic discussions throughout the year on the importance of all adults in the building to practice and model honesty and integrity with each other, all students, as well as to families and other stakeholders.
- Staff also discuss the reasons why no adult in the building should ever ignore when a student is lying, stealing, or cheating.
- As part of an annual climate and culture survey, anonymously survey students to learn the extent to which students are lying, stealing, and cheating.
A set of core values is selected, defined, embedded, and modeledthroughouttheschoolculture.
Does your school have honesty, integrity, or trustworthiness as a core value? If not, why not?
The school has an intentional process to critically reflect and discuss how virtually everything that happens in school has the potential to shape and influence the school’scultureofcharacter.
Is your school committed to identifying new practices to emphasize honesty and integrity – or does your school have a “hidden curriculum” that sends a signal to students (and staff) that academic excellence is what the school is about (not honesty or integrity)?
The staff exchange ideas on the most developmentally appropriate strategies, approaches, and practices that encourage students to develop and internalize their own moralcompass.
Does your staff discuss the best intrinsic strategies to encourage students to develop and internalize their own moral compass?
The school annually assesses the progress of its comprehensive character initiative and makes changes basedontheinformationcollected.
Does your staff ask each other: “ working (related to fostering honesty and integrity)?”
Does your school find ways to ask students about the level of lying, stealing, and cheating at the school?
Students at your school learn about and discuss the different reasons why students in high school lie, steal, and cheat.
This checkpoint is built on two important foundations. First, it’s critical for students at your school to know that the adults in the building understand and empathize with the different reasons why students may lie, steal, or cheat. Mutual trust is critical. Of course, trust requires being dependable over time and not educators merely telling students to trust them. This checkpoint enables teachers and staff to demonstrate and model that they are aware of the different pressures high school students are facing at home and at school.
Second, providing students with the opportunity to discuss the different reasons why students in high school lie, steal, and cheat is a critical first step to helping students resist not just the pressures they face, but also their own rationalizations. During high school, a lot of students rationalize their behavior by thinking “I’m not hurting anyone,” “everybody is doing it,” or “my friends made me do it.”
Here are 5 practices to consider:
- Create a presentation for rising freshmen on the different reasons why students in high school lie, steal, and cheat. [A list of reasons can be found in Section 2, “Why Students Lie, Steal, and Cheat”]
- Determine the best way for students to learn about and discuss the different reasons why students lie, steal, or cheat. For example, the “Different Reasons” presentation/discussion can occur in homeroom or a specific class. In addition, the presentation/discussion can be facilitated by the homeroom teacher, subjectmatter teacher, the school counselor, or another staff member.
Small group discussions should include: (1) the different ways that high school students rationalize their decision to lie, steal, or cheat; and (2) how these rationalizations serve to self-protect students from feeling uncomfortable or even considering steps they could have taken to make a different choice.
Train juniors and seniors to facilitate small group discussions with the freshmen on the different reasons why students lie, steal, or cheat.
Invite students to provide feedback on ways to improve and enhance the presentation and discussion on the different reasons why some students lie, steal,
Every student understands, cares about, and practices the corevaluesembeddedintheschoolcommunity.
What steps has your school taken to ensure that all students are reflecting on and learning how to care – and care deeply – about being honest and a person of integrity?
Theschoolprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestopractice and reflect on the character strengths that are shaping andformingtheirmoralcompass.
If your school provides opportunities for students to learn and discuss the different reasons why some students lie, steal, or cheat, how does your school connect these discussions with helping students form their moral compass?
The school staff empowers students to have a voice in creating the shared norms of the classroom and school culture,aswellastheirowncharactergrowth.
How does your school provide opportunities for students to set a character goal related to honesty and integrity?
Teachers and staff have: (1) equipped their students with the language and strategies to resist the pressures to lie, steal, or cheat; and (2) provided creative “workouts” for students to strengthen their honesty and integrity muscles.
At the heart of this Checkpoint is the approach discussed in Section 3, “How to Help Students Develop an Integrity Mindset.”
Here are 8 practices to consider:
- Develop an intentional approach for students to learn what it means to be a person of integrity (i.e., a person who is honest, keeps their promises, is reliable and trustworthy, learns from their mistakes, and feels good when they choose the “harder right” than the “easier wrong”).
- Create an intentional approach that encourages students to recognize that it is time for them to go beyond simply knowing that lying, stealing, and cheating is wrong. Rather, their personal challenge is to reflect on whether they care – and care deeply – about being someone who is honest and shows integ
- Develop a creative approach to encourage students to make an intentional, personal commitment to honesty and integrity (rooted in their own personal story). Students learn how their personal commitment can serve as a cornerstone when they need to be honest or show integrity, especially when their strength of will is being tested.
- Develop a range of “workouts” for students to exercise and strengthen their honesty and integrity muscles. These workouts help students develop their own action-guiding “scripts” that they can use when feeling challenged or pressured. The “workouts” (often using relatable scenarios) also provide opportunities for students to recognize the emotions they will experience when being tempted to lie, steal, or cheat.
- Create a range of school-wide ethical reminders (such as an image, symbol, pledge, or slogan) that consciously or unconsciously activate a student’s commitment to honesty and integrity. Some schools may have developed an Honor Code in collaboration with students and parents.
- Have students create their own honesty/integrity self-affirmation: a saying or an expression that they repeat to themselves whenever they are being challenged or pressured.
- Provide opportunities for students to reflect on the ethical moments that are shaping who they are and who they are striving to become.
- Invite students to provide feedback on ways to improve and enhance the language and strategies to resist the pressures to lie, steal, or cheat.
Theschoolprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestopractice and reflect on the character strengths that are shaping andformingtheirmoralcompass.
How frequently does your school provide opportunities for students to reflect
Teachers have integrated honesty and integrity into their classroom culture and academic curriculum.
Teachers often wait for a teachable moment to talk to a student or an entire class about honesty and integrity. Indeed, teachable moments are essential and powerful tools of the teaching profession. However, this Checkpoint is about how teachers can take proactive steps to ensure that honesty and integrity have been woven into the culture of theirclassroomaswellastheacademiccurriculum.
Here are 6 strategies to consider:
- Establish a goal statement that encourages every adult in the building to model and reinforce the importance of honesty and integrity, and to speak up when a staffmemberfallsshortofthisexpectation.
- Develop a “new student orientation” that includes specific attention to the importance of honesty and integrity. (Some schools invite older students to talk tonewstudentsabouthonestyandintegrity)
- Provide time for teachers to discuss how to integrate honesty and integrity into theirclassroomculture.
-
Provide time for teachers across grade levels who teach the same subject (e.g., math, history) to discuss how to integrate honesty and integrity into their curriculum. For example, teachers frequently use examples of honesty and integrityfromliterature,history,science,andmore.
As a staff, review and select an approach to introduce and reinforce the principles of academic integrity. [Check out the “Additional Resources” section to learn
The school provides each student with the skills to practice academic integrity, especially when feeling pressure to be dishonest.
Doesyourschoolhaveacomprehensiveapproachtoacademicintegrity?
Has your school developed a tool that offers feedback from students on whether their teachers and staff are affirming and reinforcing the importanceofhonestyandintegrity?
The school offers a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that encourages all students to develop their
Does your school use ethical dilemmas as a tool to help students recognize
School leaders have integrated the character strengths of honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness into their school’s discipline and restorative practices.
During the past two decades, and driven by data and professional experience, school leaders and teachers have significantly transformed their approach to student discipline. No longer is discipline simply transactional (i.e., punishing a student for breaking a school rule). Rather, at the heart of restorative practices is repairing trust and
A developmental approach to student discipline has four main steps – assess, assign, educate, and evaluate. Students in high school should engage in their own reflective assessment, via a conversation with a supportive adult on what happened, why, and what the student can learn from this experience. The “assign” and “educate” steps focus on how the school can equip the student with the skills and capacity to make ethical decisions in the future. Finally, the “evaluate” step encourages school leaders to proactivelyassesstheirschool’sdisciplineandrestorativepractices.
Here are 5 strategies to integrate honesty and integrity into your school’s
The restorative approach is developed in collaboration with teachers, staff,
Ensure that all teachers and staff understand what steps to take when a student has lied, stolen, or cheated. (For many teachers, the first step is to talk to the
The restorative approach encourages students to reflect on and identify the root cause(orcauses)thatleadsthemtolie,steal,orcheat.
- The restorative approach includes the ability for a student who has not acted with integrity or honesty to develop an individualized plan with staff. The plan includes opportunities for the student to practice the cognitive and emotional skillstheywillusethenexttimetheyfeelthepressuretolie,steal,orcheat.
- Each year the school examines its policies to ensure that the school culture may notbecausingstudentstolie,steal,orcheat.
Student behaviors and mistakes serve as opportunities to teach and reinforce character development.
When a student has lied, stolen, or cheated, does your school have a discipline or restorative approach that empowers the student to develop the skills they will need to use the next time they face the same situation or pressure?
Teachers like using ethical dilemmas, especially when the dilemma is “sticky” (i.e., not easyforstudentstodeterminetherightthingtodo).
When it comes to honesty and integrity, the best ethical dilemmas reflect age-specific situationsandscenariosthatmanystudentswilllikelyconfron
Yet the best ethical dilemmas, whether they’re connected to age-specific situations or not, provide students with the opportunity to strengthen both their perspective-taking muscleandtheirempathymuscle.
In addition, ethical dilemmas offer teachers the opportunity to talk to their students about the unconscious biases ethicaldilemmasalsohelpuspractice
Finally,themostusefulethicaldilemmascreatetensionbetwee
Wanting to be with friends versus keeping a promise to your little sister
One value against another value
Being honest versus being loyal
Following or not following a rule you think is wrong
Why can I wear a hat at church but not at school?
Self-interest versus compassion
You’re running late for class, but someone you don’t know just tripped and fell in the hallway
Individual freedom versus safety
If I don’t want to wear a seatbelt, why should I?
Did
you know?
Whatparenthasnotheardtheirtwo-year-oldcryout,“that’snotfair!”
Fairness is an important character muscle, and one that educators can help students strengthen throughout childhood and adolescence. For example, research has shown that students appreciate teachers who use language that focusesontheharmorunfairimpactoflying,stealing,orcheating.
Yet, this publication has not focused significant attention on the relationship between honesty and fairness. Rather, we’ve explored the ways in which schools can help students develop a commitment to honesty and integrity as part of their emerging moral identity (i.e., “I don’t want to be a person who lies, steals,orcheats).
Do you remember the well-worn adage: “change is not a four-letter word…but often our reaction to it is”?
Change is hard. But educators have always found ways to embrace change, whether it was math teachers determining the ethical uses of the pocket calculator or English and history teachers figuring out how students should use and cite Wikipedia.
While a recent study has shown that a majority of school districts offer professional development for teachers about AI, most school districts have yet to generate a districtwide policy. Another survey reveals that 70% of teens use at least one generative AI tool, with almost 50% reporting that they use AI for homework help without their teacher’spermission.
Yet enacting a policy is only a part of our challenge. When it comes to helping students navigate AI, a middle school teacher in North Carolina summed up our ultimate challenge as educators. He wrote: “There is a fine line between getting inspiration or feedback and copying and pasting, and it’s our job (as teachers) to help students learn where that line is.”
He’s right. Our challenge is to help students learn where that line is. Below are 3 questions to consider when developing your school’s approach to helping students understand the ethical dimensions of using generative AI:
( 1 ) Are students involved in co-creating AI guidelines for your school and district? It’s not enough for teachers and schools to just explain the different ways in which using AI may violate the school’s academic integrity policy. The best way to ensure that the ethical dimensions of AI are communicated is to directly involve students. Imagine a future at your school where the older students are trained each year to talk to the younger students about AI and academic integrity. Moreover, think about the power of students meeting with staff throughout the academic year to ensure that teachers are learning from students about the emerging issues, questions, and concerns that students have regarding the ethical use of AI.
( 2 )
AreteachersatyourschoolmodelingethicalAIpractices?
AI for many different purposes, whether it’s to create math problems or writing prompts. Some teachers have started to use AI to grade papers or write update emails to parents. Teachers need opportunities to discuss with each other how to ensure that the entire staff is modeling ethical AI practices.
Does your school emphasize and communicate to students empowering learning goals that extend beyond right and wrong answers? At Character.org, we believe in the power of intellectual character (“our criticalthinking self”). These habits of mind include curiosity, open-mindedness, and intellectual humility (learning from our mistakes). Even during the elementary school years, students should be encouraged to set personal learning goals that align with these core values of intellectual character. By middle school and high school, students should be aware how using AI will sometimes impede the skills and habits of mind needed to build their muscles of intellectual character.
Our challenge as educators is to ensure that students begin to think of AI as a useful tool, not as a must-have crutch. It’s okay for students to use AI strategies to learn about a particular topic or theme. But when it comes to academic honesty, we need to equip and empower them to clearly see and understand the line between what is ethically right or ethically wrong.
This collection of resources is meant to serve readers who are interested in learning more. Character.org does not endorse any organization, curriculum, book, or activity.
We also encourage schools to use these resources after all the different stakeholders have taken the time to intentionally consider, select, and affirm (or reaffirm) the school’s core values.
CHARACTER COUNTS!® has developed a curriculum for elementary, middle, and high schools that focuses on Six Pillars of Character® (trademarks of the Josephson Institute). One of the six is TRUSTWORTHINESS.
CharacterStrong has developed a curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school students that includes activities on HONESTY and INTEGRITY.
PositivityProject has developed a curriculum for elementary, middle, and high schools that focuses on INTEGRITY.
LeaderinMe has developed a curriculum for elementary, middle, and high schools that focuses on HONESTY.
Kindness 101 is a collection of K-12 resources and short videos originating from CBS News’s On the Road series with Steve Hartman. Several of the videos and lessons (developed by CHARACTER COUNTS!) focus on honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness.
Passiton.com has created a number of videos about honesty, such as this short video we hope will tug at your heartstrings.
The Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia McKissack
Howard B. Wigglebottom and the Monkey on His Back by Howard Binkow and Susan F. Cornelison
Creating a Culture of Academic Integrity: A Toolkit for Secondary Schools by David Wangaard and Jason Stephens
CharacterPlus: The longest-running character education initiative in the country that provides educators with evidence-based approaches and best practices.
Ethics in the Classroom: Bridging the gap between theory and practice Mahoney
Ethics Unwrapped: A wonderful resource filled with illustrated videos produced by the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin.
Ethics and Identity by Timothy Leet. Tim is a teacher, school administrator, and a longtime champion for character.
The Truth About Lying: Teaching Honesty to Children at Every Age and Sta Victoria Talwar
Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What’s Right! Mary Gentile
Why Do Children Lie: Encouraging Honesty in Children
What Do You Stand For? A Kids’ Guide to Building Character
Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue by Christian Miller
The Empty Pot by Demi
Liar, Liar (series), by Gary Paulsen
The Honesty Project at Wake Forest University examines questions about honesty through scientific and philosophical inquiry. To what extent are people honest? Does honesty vary by culture? What factors encourage honesty?
Talwar Child Development Lab at McGill University examines children’s truth-telling and lie-telling.
The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending, and Hoarding was founded by Terrence Shulman, a self-described recovering shoplifter who is now a practicing therapist and lawyer.
International Center for Academic Integrity plagiarism, and academic dishonesty in higher education. The Center defines academic integrity as a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage.
Turnitin provides an overview of resources for educators, including conversations that educators are having about AI.
CarnegieLearning has a great article on ethical practice to teach K-12 students.
SpencerEducation is where a former middle school teacher, Dr. John Spencer, has written extensively about AI.
This publication was made possible by a grant from The School for Ethical Education.
