Academic redshirting, the practice of postponing a child's entry into kindergarten, is intended to give a child an extra year to become ready for school, an especially important goal given the increasing academic demands of early elementary years. This digest presents information about the incidence of redshirting, and summarizes some of the findings of studies on the practice. The digest notes that research has yet to provide a clear picture of the short- and long-term effects of redshirting, but some recent evidence suggests a mixture of positive and negative potential effects. Findings are mostly positive for the individual child in the short term, but seem to be increasingly negative in the long term, though none are conclusive. In light of its potential long-term effects, the digest provides 10 suggestions for parents to consider before making the decision to redshirt, including soliciting views from the child's preschool teacher about his or her readiness for kindergarten; finding out more about the nature and structure of the kindergarten class; and asking the kindergarten teacher what can be done at home to help the child reach the same skill level of upcoming classmates. (Contains 11 references.) (OBR)