"Academic Redshirting" in Kindergarten: Prevalence, Patterns, and Implications. (September 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bassok, Daphna; Reardon, Sean F.
• Is Part Of: Educational evaluation and policy analysis. Volume 35:Number 3(2013)
• Page Start: 283
• Page End: 297
• Publication Date: 2013-09
• Subjects: school readiness -- kindergarten -- academic redshirting; Education -- Evaluation -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Education -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; 370.7
• DOI: 10.3102/0162373713482764
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0162-3737

Abstract

We use two nationally representative data sets to estimate the prevalence of kindergarten "redshirting"—the decision to delay a child's school entry. We find that between 4% and 5.5% of children delay kindergarten, a lower number than typically reported in popular and academic accounts. Male, White, and high-SES children are most likely to delay kindergarten, and schools serving larger proportions of White and high-income children have far higher rates of delayed entry. We find no evidence that children with lower cognitive or social abilities at age 4 are more likely to redshirt, suggesting parents' decisions to delay entry may be driven by concerns about children's relative position within a kindergarten cohort. Implications for policy are discussed.