A Think Twice Review of:

Review of K-12 Without Borders: Public School Students, Families, and Teachers Shut In by Education Boundaries

Think Twice - Mar 02, 2023

Publisher/Think Tank - Manhattan Institute

Author(s) - Martin F. Lueken and Michael Q. McShane

A recent report from the directors of EdChoice, published by the Manhattan Institute, oversimplifies important equity issues as problems of school zone boundaries.

Reviewer(s) - Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University; T. Jameson Brewer, University of North Georgia

Christopher Lubienski of Indiana University and T. Jameson Brewer of the University of North Georgia reviewed K-12 Without Borders: Public School Students, Families, and Teachers Shut In by Education Boundaries. Their review criticizes the report for illogical assumptions, lack of evidence, sleight of hand, and improbable leaps of logic, all of which make its advice to policymakers useless. The report's core contention is that diminishing or eliminating school district boundaries and expanding school choice will allow for three desirable outcomes: (1) students attending better schools, (2) homeowners moving to cheaper housing or seeing their property value rise, and (3) teachers enjoying improved pensions. The review points to a dearth of reliable evidence offered in the report to support these assertions.