A New York Times article chronicles the fate of those public figures who have been found guilty of plagiarism.  The article talks about the many high-profile students and former students who have used literary works or parts of them as their own words.  It also discusses the cultural differences that may contribute to the frequency and/or understanding of the crime.  

As an educator, this issue is one of importance that needs to be addressed at an early age.  Young children can understand that stealing is wrong, even stealing words.  But it is also up to those educators to be diligent to follow up on suspected plagiarism.  As papers come across your desk, you must be willing to evaluate them with a critical eye to make a determination as to whether or not the work is original.

Educators need to facilitate original thinking.  This is the first step to combat the plagiarist mentality.  The trend of standardized tests, where everything looks the same and sounds the same, does not encourage creative thinking.  So educators must go the extra mile, encouraging at every opportunity for the students to think for themselves and for that thinking to be validated and not compared to others as being insufficient.  

In short, we need to teach our kids to think for themselves so that they won't be tempted to let someone else do it for them.