PUBLICATIONS

Swain, W.A., Springer, M.G., and Hofer, K. (2015) “Early Grade Teacher Effectiveness and Pre-K Effect Persistence: Evidence from Tennessee.” forthcoming. AERA Open

Springer, M.G., Rosenquist, B., and Swain, W.A. (2015) “Monetary and Non-Monetary Incentives for Tutoring Services: A Randomized Controlled Trial”. forthcoming. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness.

Abstract: In recent years, the largely punitive accountability measures imposed by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act have given way to an emphasis on financial incentives. While most policy interventions have focused primarily on linking teacher compensation to student test scores, several recent studies have examined the prospects for the use of financial incentives for students to improve student outcomes. This study builds on the existing literature by comparing student responses to monetary and non-monetary (certificates of recognition) incentives to increase participation in federally funded supplemental education services (SEdS).  Approximately 300 eligible middle grade students who had signed up for SEdS were randomly selected and then assigned to either a control condition that received no incentive, a monetary reward group that could earn up to $100 for regular attendance, or a non-monetary group that could receive a certificate of recognition signed by the district superintendent. Although the benefits of the monetary incentives were negligible, the students in the certificate group attended 42.5 percent more of their allotted tutoring hours than those assigned to control. The effect of the certificate was particularly strong for female students, who attended 26 percent more of their allocated tutoring hours compared to males who were also offered certificates. These results suggest the need for further research into the role of non-monetary incentives in motivating student behaviors. Also, the findings could be useful to policymakers at the state or district level seeking cost effective mechanisms to increase uptake of underutilized student supports.

Springer, M.G., Swain, W.A., and Rodriguez, L. (2015) “Effective Teacher Retention Bonuses: Evidence from Tennessee”. forthcoming. Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis

Doyle, C., Swain, W. A., Ewald, H. A. S., Cook, C. L., & Ewald, P. W. (2015). Sexually Transmitted Pathogens, Depression, and Other Manifestations Associated with Premenstrual Syndrome. Human Nature, 1-15.

Abstract: This study investigated whether sexually transmitted infections and lifestyle variables are associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) as well as particular manifestations commonly associated with PMS. Data were gathered from medical records of 500 regularly cycling women. The following infectious agents were investigated: human papillomavirus, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrheae, Gardnerella vaginalis, Candida albicans, and Trichomonas vaginalis. Bivariate tests and multivariate logistic regressions were used to evaluate whether these pathogens were associated with headache, pain, nausea, and depression. Chlamydia trachomatis was significantly associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and two common manifestations of PMS: depression and pain. Trichomonas vaginalis was significantly correlated with headache and Gardnerella vaginalis with nausea. None of the illness manifestations was significantly associated with the tested lifestyle variables: dietary calcium supplementation, alcohol and drug use, exercise, and smoking. These associations provide a basis for assessment of infectious causation of PMS and several manifestations of illness that are commonly associated with PMS.

Goldring, E.G. & Swain, W.A. (2014) The School Attendance and Residential Location Balancing Act: Community, Choice, Diversity, and Achievement. In G.K. Ingram and D.A. Kenyon (eds.), Education, Land, and Locations. Cambridge, MA: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Abstract: Ellen B. Goldring and Walker Swain evaluate the impact parental choices have on residential location and schooling. This paper is divided into three loosely chronological sections that focus in turn on residential location–schooling linkages, policies such as court-mandated busing and school choice that reduce the link between residential location and schooling, and the relinking of residential location and schooling. Goldring and Swain focus on changes to government policies which can impact academic achievement. The authors note that transportation costs and parents’ interest in placing their children in nearby schools with particular racial and ethnic mixes limit the impact school choice policies can have in unlinking residential choice from schooling. They also note that balancing sometimes mutually conflicting positive goals is one of the challenges in choosing the best public policies. For example, although research has shown that segregated schools have detrimental impacts on academic achievement for blacks, using coercive policies to reduce segregation can erode community engagement.

Swain, W.A. (2013) “F” is for Foreclosed: The Effects of the Housing Crash on NC Student Achievement. Sanford Journal of Public Policy, 4, 3-23

Abstract: Since the passage of No Child Left Behind, elevating student achievement on standardized tests has become the most prominent goal of our education system. And since the onset of the Great Recession, the housing crash and subsequent foreclosure crisis have been at the forefront of political and economic discourse. Yet, social scientists and policymakers alike have strikingly little empirical information about how the latter has affected the former. In this paper I examine the effects of the housing crash on North Carolina public schools. Specifically, I analyze whether rises in county level home foreclosure rates hurt student academic achievement and whether they left more students economically vulnerable. Controlling for county characteristics that are constant over time and adjusting for statewide trends in test scores, increases in county level foreclosures are significantly associated with drops in both math and reading achievement. Coefficients from the basic ordinary least squared (OLS) regression models indicate that an increase of one home foreclosure per 100 county residents is associated with decrease of approximately 0.3 standard deviations in the percent proficient for math and reading. The negative relationship remains significant after controlling for county level unemployment and is strongest for black students. The specific effects of home foreclosures cannot be separated from other statewide trends during the recession years. However, the data suggest that districts hit harder by the recession performed quantifiably worse in both math and reading. These findings have implications for the fairness and efficiency of policies that base teacher compensation or employment decisions on simple calculations of student value-added scores. They also support policies that would provide additional aid to high foreclosure districts to help students in foreclosed homes stay at their schools (i.e. covering transportation costs) or ease their transitions to new schools (i.e. counseling and records management).

Swain, W.A. (2013). The boredom of summertime. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(7), 80-80. Op Ed

Submitted Manuscripts

Swain, W.A. and Redding, C. “Union Power in a Budget Crunch: Teacher Collective Bargaining and State Budgetary Responses to the Great Recession.” In Review

Springer, M.G., Rodriguez, L., and Swain, W.A. “Teacher Evaluation and Exit Decisions: Evidence from Tennessee”. In Review

Working Papers

Swain, W.A. and Springer, M.G. “Children’s Health Insurance and Academic Success: Early Effects of SCHIP.”

Swain, W.A. “School Based Health Centers and School Based Outcomes: Evidence from Rural and Urban Centers of Tennessee and North Carolina.”

Swain, W.A., Rodriguez, L., and Springer, M.G.  “Retaining Highly Effective Teachers in High Poverty Schools: Achievement Effects of a Targeted Hard-To-Staff Retention Bonus”