Elizabeth Wissner-Gross, author of best-selling books on education and Founder and President of Educational Strategies, shares her epiphany on why American schools lag far behind those of other countries. Hint: It's not the teachers' fault. It's not the students, parents, unions, tenure, too much homework, too little homework, or even too much testing. The problem, pure and simple, is grades and fear of grade inflation. The American grading system forces our teachers to "anti-teach." This TEDxBeaconStreet talk, excerpted from the author's upcoming book "Gotcha Grading," reveals how eliminating our grading system could bring American education back up to the top.

Author and educator Elizabeth Wissner-Gross, most known for her best-selling books on educational opportunities for high school students, is the Founder and President of Educational Strategies, a leading international consulting company that connects ambitious high school students worldwide with the top American college opportunities.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx