A great example of political rhetoric focused on social objectives in education is President Joe Biden’s 2021 speech about the American Families Plan. In this speech, he emphasized the importance of early education, saying:

I announced last week — a once-in-a-generation investment in our families, in our children that addresses what people care most about and most need — the investment we need to win the competition — the competition with other nations for the future. That’s why my American Families Plan guarantees four additional years of public education for every person in America—starting as early as we can.

Here, Biden is pushing for universal preschool, aiming to create more equitable access to education from an early age. The plan is all about leveling the playing field so that kids, no matter where they come from, get a fair shot at success. It’s clear that this policy focuses on expanding opportunities, which could have a big impact on families and children.

But there’s been some pushback, mainly around how it would actually be put into practice and where the funding would come from. While the goals sound great on paper, critics point out that there aren’t enough details on how it would be rolled out or how it would affect the current education system.

Overall, Biden’s rhetoric here sets ambitious social objectives by prioritizing access to education, especially for younger kids. While the intent is clear and well-meaning, there are still plenty of questions about whether it’s realistic to implement on a large scale.