As an education policy analyst, I was aghast to hear Joe Biden telling America to play the radio, TV, and record player (?!) at night for children to listen to. Hearing more words, Biden claims, will help kids be better prepared to succeed when they are school age. This is a suspect claim at best.
The phenomenon alluded to and the research on which it is based is not about just any words heard. It is about caring adults reading about five books per day together with young children.
Sciences Daily wrote a brief summary of the evidence that is worth a read:
“Young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to, a new study found. This 'million word gap' could be one key in explaining differences in vocabulary and reading development.
…
"This isn't about everyday communication. The words kids hear in books are going to be much more complex, difficult words than they hear just talking to their parents and others in the home.”
Low-income parents (and parent surrogates) should not be shamed by middle and upper-middle class politicians for not reading more with their children. If you are a single parent, or even a couple, trying to care for the needs of your family, you may be too tired or not have time to read with your children. And if you are a low-income family, there may not be many, if any, books in the home. So, stopping at the library coming home from a second job may not be the answer either. These families do not need to be told to read more with their children; they need more money! If we want better readers, let’s start by raising the minimum wage!
Finally, I would note that the question Joe Biden was responding to was about racism. I’m dumbstruck by the quick pivot to blaming parents (parents of color?) for the fact that American society has systematically disadvantaged their children, sometimes directly, and often indirectly.
On balance then, the politics of Senators Sanders or Warren is vastly superior to that of Biden on the matter of reading and raising educational attainment of all students. Income matters.