Nothing is more determinative about how well your life will go economically than acquiring valuable skills. Our ability to learn starts with the schooling we get early in life. Basic competence in reading and math allows us to follow our natural curiosity. We measure the success of our educational efforts by how well we impart the tools our children need to achieve their life goals. Understanding that education is the key to economic success and empowering individuals and communities is crucial. We must strive to realize this potential.

Education, a cornerstone of economic success, should be a top priority in any election. Yet, it receives less attention than other issues such as inflation, the economy, the border, or abortion. This disparity is a cause for concern and a call to action. Education is not just a local issue but also carries national implications, as evidenced by the existence of the Department of Education. Our ability to compete globally hinges on the expertise of our people, making it all the more crucial to urgently prioritize education in political agendas.

We hear about this group or that some others fail to do as well economically. Rather than putting down differences in outcomes to things such as discrimination or class, we need to ascribe it more to differences in educational opportunities. The two most identified lagging groups are blacks and Hispanics. Both heavily populate our inner cities, and even though high per capita educational funds are expended, the results are abysmal. Whether it’s Chicago, New York, D.C., Philadelphia, or California cities, all have something in common. They’re ruled by Democrats. On the other hand, Red State, Florida, provides uniformly good schools with solid results even in its big cities.

Why do students flourish in one place and fail in another? Los Angeles and Miami-Dade are heavily Hispanic, so the problems aren’t with the students; they lie elsewhere.

Teacher unions play a prominent role in failing city schools. As huge financial contributors to Democratic candidates, those receiving the unions’ support are reluctant to refuse them anything. The result is wage increases and unneeded administrators with little accountability. Any competition is opposed.

The current mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, is a former teacher union organizer, which shows how intertwined the Teacher Unions and Politicians can be in these cities. Johnson is also the one welcoming the Democrats to their convention in Chicago.

This circumstance explains the “School Choice” retreat in Chicago and other cities. As far back as 1990, Polly Williams campaigned for vouchers for Milwaukee schoolchildren in failing schools to attend private schools. Shortly after that, in 1991, continued dissatisfaction with traditional public schools led to Minnesota’s first charter school law. Charters are public schools that can hire, fire, and set curricula and teaching methods.

Expanding parent’s school choices gains support daily, especially in the Red states. As with anything else in our lives, competition makes things better. It isn’t unexpected that right-to-work states where unions have less power are leading the way with Universal vouchers used for any schooling, and charter school expansion has led to significant improvements.

Early on, both Democrats and Republicans generally supported charter schools and vouchers, especially for special needs students. Most agree education reform is a national problem. George W. Bush and Barrack Obama supported changes. While Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” program was a dud, both supported charter schools. While Republicans have continued to push school choice, Democrats have gone in the opposite direction.

This situation should be an opening for Republicans to appeal to communities where their children continue to receive sub-par educations. It has always amazed me that people in inner cities with failing schools continue to vote for politicians who restrict choices. Years ago, in the Movie The Lottery, parents had to participate in a game of chance to secure a spot in a fine charter school. If they were lucky, the few winners’ children would likely get a solid education, leading to a much better future. It was painful to see the many losers facing the opposite.

What are now the “Success Academies” in New York City was the charter school in the Movie (then Harlem Success Academy). Politicians should be falling all over themselves to foster the expansion of this successful school to fill an obvious need. Instead, pushed by the teacher’s unions, the city has placed roadblocks to expansion rather than providing support. This pattern is repeated in other Democratic-Teacher’s union-controlled cities.

Even when Democratic politicians recognize the value of School Choice and actually campaign for it, it turns out to be an illusion. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro promised a voucher program and expanded choice, only to veto his bill once elected.

If Donald Trump hopes to expand his appeal to inner-city minorities, those saddled with failing schools should be prime targets. Ron DeSantis’ success in Florida shows that expanded choice is a good policy and a political winner. Yet Trump fails to feature School Choice, only mentioning it in passing, if at all.

Perhaps the strong support from right-leaning think tanks has made him leary after Heritage’s 2025 Project was unfairly linked to him by a ridiculous Democratic campaign. The 2025 Project does support choice while questioning why we have a Department of Education since traditional public test scores have done nothing but go down. However, it is hardly alone. I started contributing to Ed Choice when it was the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation. Trump has plenty of other help available in this area. Of course, he could pick up the phone and ask Governor DeSantis about his success.

Maybe the plight of many children in traditional public schools doesn’t register as much with someone who went to private school and sent his son to private school. Trump joins other politicians such as the Clintons, Bidens, Obamas, and even Teacher Union Officials and teachers in sending their children to fine private schools while failing to provide the same possibility to others. Maybe this is why it’s “the forgotten issue.”