ERIC Number: EJ1015022
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Sep
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3737
EISSN: N/A
"Academic Redshirting" in Kindergarten: Prevalence, Patterns, and Implications
Bassok, Daphna; Reardon, Sean F.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, v35 n3 p283-297 Sep 2013
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. (Contains 11 notes, 5 tables, and 5 figures.)
Descriptors: Cohort Analysis, Demography, Context Effect, School Entrance Age, Enrollment, Age Grade Placement, Kindergarten, Age Differences, Racial Differences, Males, Cognitive Ability, Interpersonal Competence, Income, School Readiness, Predictor Variables, Advantaged
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Publication Type: Reports - Research; Journal Articles
Education Level: Kindergarten; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey; National Health Interview Survey; National Household Education Survey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A