I am not sure I would say it is "cheating" for parents to help their children with science fair. The extra involvement that sometimes takes place between parents and children is probably something we wish would happen more often. Parents ought to be involved in their children's education. Not doing the math problems, but helping explain them. Not writing the papers, but helping proof-read them and offering suggestions.
I have never done schoolwork for my two children, but I have certainly prodded them, helped explain things, helped them build things, read their papers and offered opinions, etc. What a difference it would make if all parents would do that.
Yes, I feel there are gross inequities when I judge science fairs and it becomes obvious that one student had lots of parental help while another had none. Indeed, the student with no help might have had negative help from parents who did not even provide a good work environment or any level of financial support. Worse, some kids grow up in abusive homes.
I wouldn't single out science fair as an assignment where some students get too much help. Of our mandatory 8th grade science fair I have heard it exclaimed that it has forced some parents to have some involvement with their children's education for the very first time. That's not a bad thing.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail: 419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817