Argument Essay: Why Schools Should Retain The Honor System

Words: 522
Pages: 3

High schools, Colleges, and Universities around the word have honor codes or honor systems, which are sets of rules or principles that ae intended to cultivate integrity. These rules or principles often take the form of written positions on practices like cheating, stealing, plagiarizing, and other acts of misconduct as on the consequences of violating the established codes of the school. Today, there is debate on whether or not their school should establish, maintain, revise, or eliminate the honor system. In this argument we'll discuss why schools should maintain their honor system.
In schools, honor codes play a key role in effectively discouraging cheating and maintaining integrity in schools. According to research by Donald L. McCabe,
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The key to their success seem to be encouraging student involvement in developing community standards on academic dishonesty and ensuring their subsequent acceptance by the larger student community. (Donald L. McCabe and Gary Pavela, 2013)
This quote is significant because it demonstrates the effectiveness of school honor code systems in ensuring that school integrity and rules are upheld.
Some may argue that school honor systems and honor codes are a waste of time and resources. In other words, school honor systems may be an in effective solution to the issue of school misbehavior. However, this argument doesn't have standing ground in solving school issues. Without the use of school honor systems, students will not have much structure and would increase school misconduct. According to Chris Khan, a U.S. Political Polling Editor at Thomson Reuters,
"Since last spring, 157 students have been investigated by their peers in the largest cheating scandal in memory. Thirty-nine of those accused of violating the schools honor code have either dropped out or been expelled...some students who had already graduated lost their diplomas." (Chris Kahn,