Julien Lafortune

School Finance Reform and the Distribution of Student Achievement

July 1, 2016 • Working Papers • By Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Jesse Rothstein and Julien Lafortune

Abstract We study the impact of post-1990 school finance reforms, during the so=called “adequacy” era, on absolute and relative spending and achievement in low-income school districts. Using an event study…

Can school finance reforms improve student achievement?

March 1, 2016 • Policy Brief • By Julien Lafortune, Jesse Rothstein and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach

The achievement gap between rich and poor students in the United States is large and growing. On average, children from low-income families have lower test scores, lower rates of high…