Austin Scholar #148: Is education inequality in America worse than wealth inequality?
& what I've learned from Game of Thrones and The 48 Laws of Power
Hey, y'all!
This week from Austin Scholar...
Is education inequality in America worse than wealth inequality?
Scholar’s Sources: What I’ve been thinking about…
I’m back at Stanford for my second quarter!! This last week has been exhausting – from figuring out where my classes are, to catching up with my friends, to starting an all-new math class (linear algebra), to keeping up with my New Year’s resolutions (reading, journaling, exercising, and reading about investing)... I’ve got a lot to re-adjust to after a month of watching Game of Thrones and relaxing back home. It’s a good kind of exhaustion, though, in that I feel satisfied and proud of myself at the end of every day.
Is education inequality in America worse than wealth inequality?
This past week, I read a little bit about Karl Marx in one of my classes, which brought up discussions on wealth inequality and how bad it is in America. I’ve always thought that the biggest problem in our society right now is our education system and education inequality, so these discussions made me think about what is bigger in America: wealth inequality or education inequality?
Well, through my research, I’ve found that educational inequality is bigger than wealth inequality, and unless your child is in the top 10th percentile of academic achievement in America, you should be worried – and, it’s better if they’re in the top 1%.
If you’re in the top 1%, you’re obviously one of the best students not just in America, but in the world. And if you apply to prestigious universities, you have a shot at getting in.
But if you drop below the top 10%, there’s about a million 9th, 10th, and 11th graders who are ahead of you.
If you’re a high school graduate in the 50% percentile, there are 40,000 third graders who know more than you.
This is not okay.
And that’s if you’re the median. Imagine if you’re in a lower percentile?
Well, half of our graduating high school seniors are in a lower percentile. And this isn’t a case of American students performing poorly in the confines of our country, they’re performing poorly, period.
American students, particularly those in the bottom 50% academically, perform worse when compared to students in other developed nations.
On international assessments like PISA, U.S. students consistently score below average in math (and only average in reading and science) when compared to other OECD countries.
Our top 1-10% is the best in the world, but when you get down to our median and below, we can’t even compete.
On the other hand, while the U.S. has high income inequality, even the bottom 50% of earners are relatively wealthy compared to the global population.
According to global income comparisons, the poorest Americans are often in the top 10-20% of earners worldwide, largely due to the overall wealth of the U.S. economy.
Even if you’re the median in the US in income, you’re making way more than the rest of the world. The median US income is $80,000, which is almost triple that of Spain and Italy ($28,000) and still far above Great Britain and France, which are $40,000 and $60,000, respectively.
Every single one of those countries scored higher than the US in mathematical and reasoning skills on the PISA.
Why does this matter?
I believe there are two reasons that you, as a parent, should care about this:
I had a great debate with a classmate about how powerful America’s free-market capitalist economy is to be able to keep even median Americans at such a high income level.
In almost every other country, education is highly correlated to income. How well you do in school predicts how much money you make in your career. And if American income ever does become aligned to the global education standard, there’s a big income drop coming for a lot of people. Americans might have trouble competing on the global talent market as jobs become more globalized. More highly educated offshore workers will take jobs and Americans won’t be as qualified for the high income they currently enjoy.
We’ve been able to keep our income level high for a while, though, so I’m not sure how relevant this idea is (I’m just a college freshman, so I don’t know a lot about this, but maybe I’ll have a better idea in a few years).
The second reason is something I know about, though, and it does immediately matter. To use AI successfully, you absolutely need to use higher-level thinking skills (see last week’s article, DOK 3 and DOK 4). Having half of our graduating high schoolers with the reasoning capability of our best third graders isn’t going to cut it, and won’t prepare kids for the world they’re going into.
I’m often asked by parents what they should do for their kids, and I explain that it used to be okay to be an average student in America – and that if you were an average student, everything would turn out fine. That’s no longer a given. AI has changed the playing field and we need to face the reality that our kids need to learn more in this new world.
The good news, though, is that AI will also help your kid with their education. AI makes it so that your kid only needs to spend two hours per day to reach the top 10% in academic performance.
So one way to look at it is that it’s a tough time to be a five-year-old, but the other way to think about it is that AI can allow that kid to spend just two hours per day reaching what is now the top 10%, so they can spend the rest of the day doing what they love.
Scholar’s Sources: What I’ve been thinking about…
My second quarter of the required general education course, COLLEGE, is called Citizenship in the 21st Century, and one of our first readings was about the power of disagreeing. We read a chapter from the book Love Your Enemies by Arthur Brooks that dove into Aristotle’s definition of a “perfect friendship.”
Essentially, a “perfect friend” is someone with whom you “wish the good of the other and [have] a shared sense of what is virtuous and true” (you want the best for your friend and you both have the same values).
This shared sense of values and truth is the core of the friendship – however, that doesn’t mean there are no disagreements. In fact, it’s the opposite. When you and someone else have both respect for each other and have a common end goal or truth, it’s inevitable that there will be disagreements on how to get there. You are “in so much agreement about this underlying principle that [you] compete with each other on better ways to do it, and the result of that disagreement radiating around a common moral core will be better, more innovative policies for the people [you] are trying to help.”
It’s likely that you and your kid have similar values and will probably disagree on the best ways to reach a solution, but that doesn’t mean the two of you are opposed. Deepen your relationship by having meaningful discussions about these topics – don’t shy away from them.
Game of Thrones versus The 48 Laws of Power
For a few years now, my sister’s favorite book has been The 48 Laws of Power. I don’t know what it was about that book or title, but it seemed so aggressive and intense that I avoided it.
At the same time, my sister is one of the most confident people I know. She is always unapologetically herself and people flock to her because of it, something I find myself trying to emulate.
After watching Game of Thrones for the first time over break, I realized that there was, actually, a connection between these two facts.
In Game of Thrones, there are a ton of lessons on building confidence, how you can wield it, and the dangers of overconfidence. Tyrion Lannister, for example, compensates for his physical limitations by leveraging his intelligence, wit, and strategic mind. His confidence grows as he uses these strengths to outmaneuver others. Daenerys Targaryen is initially a pretty demure, conscious girl but grows to project confidence as the "Mother of Dragons" to command loyalty and fear. Over time, her belief in herself grows. She’s then able to inspire vast armies and followers because she projects unwavering confidence in her vision of a better world.
Then, when compared to The 48 Laws of Power, I realized that my sister has learned these lessons long ago.
Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness teaches that boldness creates confidence. Hesitation and timidity invite doubt or attack, while decisive action inspires respect. Confidence is built by acting decisively, even if you’re unsure. Boldness makes you appear strong and capable, which can become self-fulfilling.
Law 34: Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to Be Treated Like One advises adopting a demeanor of authority and self-assurance. When you carry yourself with confidence, others will treat you accordingly. Confidence is a performance—how you present yourself often determines how others perceive and treat you.
Law 47: Do Not Go Past the Mark You Aimed For warns against overconfidence, which can lead to recklessness. Knowing when to stop or step back is key to maintaining authority and respect. Confidence should be tempered with self-awareness and restraint.
Law 29: Plan All the Way to the End emphasizes the importance of preparation. Knowing your plan gives you confidence in execution. Confidence comes from being prepared. When you know what you’re doing, you naturally exude self-assurance.
Putting all of this together, help your kid realize that confidence is about perception and that preparation and competence lead to confidence.
Help your kid learn their strengths: Like Tyrion Lannister, kids should focus on what they’re good at and build confidence from their talents.
Teach Them to Act Confidently: Confidence is often about how you carry yourself, even if you feel nervous. Use examples like Daenerys (obviously just tell the story, don’t watch the show) to show how projecting confidence can create opportunities. Practice confident body language with your child (e.g., standing tall, making eye contact, speaking clearly). Role-play scenarios where they need to "fake it till they make it."
If you’re looking for a fun show to watch with your kid, Beast Games is a perfect one. It’s honestly really fun to discuss what you would’ve done in that situation, the expected value for each player in different scenarios, and the way confidence and power plays out (something I’ve clearly been interested in recently).
Thanks for reading. Go crush the week! See y'all on Sunday.