ABOUT 'CHEATERS'

"Most teachers don't like to challenge us. They don't think we're capable."

"Cheaters" is a movie based on actual events regarding a cheating scandal within the Illinois Education System in 1995. Steinmetz High School is an urban Chicago school. Dr. Gerald Plecki, played by Jeff Daniels, is the third-time coach of Steinmetz's Academic Decathlon team. The United States Academic Decathlon is a competition which tests the capabilities of high school student teams in five different areas: the written tests, speech, interview, essay and superquiz. "Cheaters" follows Steinmetz's culturally rich team consisting of Dominic, Paul, Agnieska, Matt, Jolie, Irwin and Darius and they study night and day to prepare for the Regional Competition. Not surprisingly, they have a disappointing finish far behind the city's top school, Whitney Young. Whitney Young is essentially a private school operating within the public system. Parents from outside the area lie about their addresses, incomes, and ethnicities to get their children into Whitney Young. Whitney Young has the 'best tax dollars can buy'.

"Cheaters DO prosper, winning IS everything. Try telling the truth on your loan application - you won't get one. Do you think Bill Gates fired the guys who stole Apple's operating code? No! He probably promoted them!"

Then one of the team member's acquires a copy of the State exam, the team agrees that the only way that they can beat the system, that is, beat Whitney Young, is to use the exam. They come up with way to recall answers, like gum, calulators, beepers, and the soles of their shoes.

"Hard work and dedication are the keys to achieving your dreams."

Steinmetz ends up with the majority of medals in all categories, and takes the State title. Even in the areas where they had no 'advanced preparation', their confidence level allowed them to do incredibly well. As expected, Whitney Young's coach automatically assumes that Steinmetz must have somehow cheated. He makes calls to his friend's within the USAD, and has the scores investigated.

Dr. Plecki is then visited by USAD officials at the school. They had done an analysis of the scores at Regional and State competitions, and concluded that due to significant variances beyond normal parameters, that Steinmetz needed to take a validity test. When the Steinmetz team refuses to retest, the decathlon strips them of their title, and they seek legal action.

"We cheated a system that makes it impossible for a general enrollment school to win."

Under strict pressure from investigators, one of the students on the team has a breakdown and is coerced into confession. Whitney Young then goes on to win only second place at the National competition, breaking a ten year winning streak.