Regression discontinuity design in education research

Regression discontinuity design (RDD) in education research exploits a score-based eligibility cutoff — such as a test score threshold, GPA requirement, or age cutoff — to estimate the causal effect of a program, intervention, or policy on student or school outcomes. Units just below and just above the cutoff are treated as near-randomly assigned, enabling credible causal inference without a randomized trial.