In June, a cheating scandal rocked Stuyvesant High School, one of New York City's most prestigious public schools, when officials discovered that 71 students had used cellphones to text each other during state and citywide standardized tests. Soon after, the principal of 13 years abruptly retired.

The affair was shocking to many, but it shouldn’t be. Cheating is an epidemic in schools across the nation. A 2010 survey of 2,000 students revealed that more than 72 percent of students copied their homework from others and about 90 percent of seniors cheated on tests.

The students involved in cheating incidents obviously should be punished. However, policymakers and school officials, as usual, have missed the underlying cause of cheating. They've devoted their entire energy to cracking down on technology in school. Cell phones are not allowed in New York City schools. Is Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott really that technophobic?

So, what is the underlying cause of cheating at Stuyvesant and other schools? The answer is a hyper-competitive and pressure-packed environment along with the horse-race to get good grades. Research has found competition to be a reliable predictor of cheating. In an era of high-stakes testing, it is ubiquitous.

Let's examine two segments of cheating: the learning in schools and in society, as a whole.

First, the learning in schools breeds cheating. Research has found that cheating is more common when students find their academic tasks to be boring, irrelevant, or overwhelming. This “drill, kill, bubble fill” culture is dangerous and inappropriate.

"There's the question of whether students are working hard as problem solvers, or working hard as robots who just follow orders but produce no original thought," said Blake Elias, a recent graduate of Stuyvesant.

Interestingly, in progressive schools, where projects and real-world experiences often dominate learning, cheating is far less common. As educator John Dewey has noted, "School must represent present life." If schools adopt this mantra, they probably will never witness a cheating incident on their grounds ever again.

Second, competition is ingrained into the veins of American society. For our entire academic careers, kids are forced to jump through pre-assigned scholastic hoops. After constant heckling from parents and guidance counselors, students come to understand there is only one path to success.

New York Times columnist David Brooks has hit the nail on the head, writing, "We live in a culture that nurtures competitive skills. And they are necessary: discipline, rigor and reliability. But it’s probably a good idea to try to supplement them with the skills of the creative monopolist: alertness, independence and the ability to reclaim forgotten traditions."

Why do you think Stanford University students produce more innovation than Ivy League university students? Its all due to Stanford's laid-back, collaborative atmosphere coupled with its focus on design thinking and engagement.

As 7Robot CEO Sarah Szalavitz once said, "Collaboration is the new competition." Last year, Great Neck North High School's reputation was ruined after a massive SAT scandal broke. Now, Stuyvesant's is too. Who is next? Cheating scandals will continue to mar school districts if they decide to sit back and twiddle their thumbs.

As I've advocated before, let's abolish grades. Let's end high-stakes testing. And finally, let's foster collaboration.

Will all cheating be eradicated? Maybe not, but these would be leaps in the right direction.

Nikhil Goyal is a student at Syosset High School in Syosset, N.Y. He is currently writing a book on education reform.

All statements and opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual contributors, and not of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation or NBC News.