West Cook News

Steve Cortes, President of the League of American Workers, expressed concerns about the state of America's education system. He said that schools are failing to prepare children for a digital future while families remain trapped in ineffective systems. Cortes made these remarks during an interview.

"The sad truth is that our educational system in America, it is failing our children and it is failing our families," said Cortes. "Our children are not being prepared academically with the skills they need to thrive in a digital age. They are subjected increasingly subjected to toxic indoctrination that teaches them a series of woke myths lies. Far too many American families, they are trapped, quite literally trapped in failing and in even abusive school systems."

Debates over the quality of U.S. public education and school choice have intensified in 2025 as lawmakers expand programs redirecting tax dollars toward private education. According to The Washington Post, a new federal bill permits donors to claim up to $1,700 in tax credits for supporting students in both public and private schools. This has sparked controversy over whether such measures undermine traditional public education.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), academic outcomes in U.S. public schools have declined recently. The Nation’s Report Card in 2024 indicated that reading scores for 4th and 8th graders fell by two points since 2022. Long-term assessments showed that 13-year-olds lost four points in reading and nine points in math over the past decade.

Enrollment in school choice programs has increased significantly, with more than one million students participating in private school choice initiatives by 2024—a figure that has doubled since 2020. Additionally, charter school enrollment nearly doubled nationally from 1.8 million in 2011 to 3.7 million in 2021, reflecting a steady shift away from traditional public schools, as documented by FutureEd and NCES data.

Cortes is known as a political commentator and strategist who served as a senior adviser and Hispanic outreach lead for Donald Trump’s campaigns in 2016 and 2020. Before entering politics, he worked in global finance and later became a media analyst on CNBC, Fox News, and CNN. He currently serves as president of the League of American Workers and is a senior political advisor to CatholicVote.