The Brookings Institution Analysis: Boise’s boom may not be sustainable — and Idaho’s education system is part of problem

Boise’s economic boom might not be sustainable — and Idaho’s educational system poses part of the problem.

That sobering analysis comes from The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C. think tank. In a recent study, “Growing Cities That Work For All,” Brookings examined four cities: Boise, St. Louis, Nashville and South Bend, Ind.

The report finds cracks in Boise’s economic recovery, including rising poverty rates, shrinking work force at Micron Technology Inc. and HP and a reliance on service jobs in health care, government and hospitality. But the report also took an unflinching and unflattering look at Idaho education.