WWC Advanced Group Design, Module 6: Functional Form and Bandwidth

Module 6 of the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Advanced Group Design Standards Training covers the functional form and bandwidth standard. The module describes the concepts of functional form and bandwidth and explains why the WWC is concerned about them. Then the module presents the criteria that make up the functional form and bandwidth standard and shows how to apply this standard in WWC reviews of regression discontinuity design studies.

The WWC is an investment of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education and was established in 2002. The work of the WWC is managed by a team of staff at IES and conducted under a set of contracts held by several leading firms with expertise in education, research methodology, and the dissemination of education research. For more than a decade, the WWC has been a central and trusted source of scientific evidence on education programs, products, practices, and policies. We review the research, determine which studies meet rigorous standards, and summarize the findings. We focus on high-quality research to answer the question, “What works in education?”