For media inquiries, contact Steven Bliss.

Julien Lafortune

Research Fellow

Expertise: PK-12 education, California economy, labor economics, public finance

Julien Lafortune is a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, where he specializes in education and economics. He is also a member of the PPIC Economic Policy Center. His primary areas of focus include K–12 education finance, school infrastructure, human capital, and labor market policy. He has authored policy reports, briefs, presentations, and blogs on a variety of policy topics, including K–12 education, labor market issues, demographics, and housing markets. He has academic published research papers on school finance reforms and school capital investments in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics and the American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Recent Content
Publications
Blogs

photo - Workers in Factory Looking at Machine Control Panel

Blog Post · March 15, 2024

Revised Estimates Show Weaker 2023 Job Trends in California—but There Are Signs of Strength

photo - Elementary Schoolboy in Classroom Sitting at Desk and Having Trouble with a Test

Blog Post · March 13, 2024

Learning Recovery for Homeless Students Lags behind Other High-Need Groups

photo - Teenage Boy Sleeping on Cot with Others in Background at Homeless Shelter

Blog Post · March 5, 2024

Student Homelessness Reaches 10% or Higher in Some Counties

February 2024

Julien Lafortune

Research Fellow

Revised Estimates Show Weaker 2023 Job Trends in California—but There Are Signs of Strength

Learning Recovery for Homeless Students Lags behind Other High-Need Groups

Student Homelessness Reaches 10% or Higher in Some Counties

Labor Force Participation in California

Policy Brief: Labor Force Participation in California

Priorities for California’s Economy

Making Sense of California’s Economy

Factors and Future Projections for K–12 Declining Enrollment

Policy Brief: Factors and Future Projections for K–12 Declining Enrollment

Financing California’s Public Schools

Assessing Transitional Kindergarten’s Impact on Elementary School Trajectories

Policy Brief: Assessing Transitional Kindergarten’s Impact on Elementary School Trajectories

Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding

Policy Brief: Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding

District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery

Policy Brief: District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery

Understanding the Effects of School Funding

Policy Brief: Understanding the Effects of School Funding

Equitable State Funding for School Facilities

Policy Brief: Equitable State Funding for School Facilities

Targeted K–12 Funding and Student Outcomes

Policy Brief: Targeted K–12 Funding and Student Outcomes

Distance Learning Strategies in California Schools

California’s Future

California’s Future: Economy

California’s Future: Education

Income Inequality and Economic Opportunity in California

Who Is Losing Ground with Distance Learning in California?

Funding California Schools When Budgets Fall Short

Improving K-12 School Facilities in California

Declining Enrollment in California Schools: Fiscal Challenges and Opportunities in the Coming Decade

California’s Future: Housing

New Eligibility Rules for the University of California? The Effects of New Science Requirements

Common Core State Standards in California: Evaluating Local Implementation and Student Outcomes

School Resources and the Local Control Funding Formula: Is Increased Spending Reaching High-Need Students?

Achievement in California’s Public Schools: What Do Test Scores Tell Us?

Revised Estimates Show Weaker 2023 Job Trends in California—but There Are Signs of Strength

Learning Recovery for Homeless Students Lags behind Other High-Need Groups

Student Homelessness Reaches 10% or Higher in Some Counties

Student Homelessness Rises to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Reconciling Signs of a Strong Economy with California’s Budgetary Woes

Commentary: On California Funding Formula’s 10th Anniversary, Celebrate Progress but Double Down on Fairness

Young Californians May Be Choosing Work over School

Private Schooling Played a Small Role in Declining Public School Enrollment

Kindergarten Enrollment Declines Mask Differences by Age

Public School Enrollment across California’s Regions, Past and Future

Public School Enrollment Declines Vary across Grade Levels

A Regional Look at California’s Latest Employment Trends

A Tight Labor Market: Challenges for Business, Opportunities for Workers?

Shrinking Household Size Strains California’s Housing Market

Inflation Squeezes Californians’ Budgets, despite Wage Growth

What’s Ahead for Education Recovery in California?

How Is California’s Child Care Sector Faring?

In a Tight Labor Market, Does a College Degree Still Matter for Employment?

Homeownership Trends in California

California’s Housing Divide

California’s Labor Force: A Swift Recovery, but What’s Next?

Many California Renters Fear Eviction Despite Increased Aid

California K–12 Enrollment Declines Continue to Exceed Expectations

California’s Jobs Recovery Has Been Stronger than We Thought

Helping K–12 Students Recover from the Pandemic

Job Openings Are Harder to Fill in the COVID Recovery

How Are Wage Gains and Government Programs Helping Families Confront Rising Prices?

Who Stands to Gain from Changes in School Enrollment Funding?

Starting the Year with Less (Real) Money

What’s Next for California’s K–12 Enrollment?

Groundhog Day for the California Economy?

Mixed Signals in California’s Labor Market Recovery

California’s Dual Jobs Challenges

Unhealthy Air May Threaten Educational Outcomes

California Is Inching toward a Jobs Recovery

California Jobs and Labor Force Are Still Down but Recovering

California’s Housing Construction Picks Up Pace

K–12 Enrollment Declines Vary across Districts

How Are Unemployed Californians Faring on the Road to Recovery?

Glimmers of Hope for California in the April Jobs Report?

Digging into Enrollment Drops at California Public Schools

A Year into Distance Learning, California’s Digital Divide Persists