Today being Sunday, and my mind is automatically on…FOOTBALL!! I truly enjoy the fall and winter line up of college games on Saturday, and then NFL games Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. While I was watching my Gators on Saturday, I thought about the term redshirting. This word has always had a football meaning for me until a classmate selected it as a topic for her global perspective early childhood development project. In case you are like me and think that redshirting is only a football term, let me provide some clarity. In early childhood education, redshirting is “the decision to delay a child’s school entry” (Bassok & Reardon, 2013). Now you may be thinking—who would want to delay their child’s entry into school? According to Bassok and Reardon (2013), white, male children of high socioeconomic status are most likely to take part in the delayed start of kindergarten. While this practice started as a parent exercising their right to determine their child’s readiness for school, there is speculation that this is now being done to enhance children’s positions in kindergarten because they will be more physically and cognitively developed than the children in their class whose kindergarten entry was not delayed.
I spoke to my friend Nelldra Allen about this. She is a unique individual in that she used to be a middle school math teacher and is now homeschooling her 2 preschool age sons. I asked her if she would consider delaying her eldest son’s entry into kindergarten and she said no because she has been working with him and does not see any reason that he would not be ready. When I addressed the issue of redshirting with her, she had a different thought process than I did. My initial thought was that if parents are going to redshirt to purely give their students an advantage then they should not be allowed to or they should need a teacher or doctor recommendation in order to delay their child’s school entry. Nelldra however, felt that the parents who are concerned enough to delay their child’s school entry to gain them opportunities are probably the same type of parents who are involved in their children’s educations and that this type of parent involvement could be the reason for the positive effects that are being seen in redshirting. We did agree however that the option should still be offered because “…some parents may delay their children’s entry into kindergarten because they believe their child is not developmentally ready for the academically-orientated kindergarten environment (Bassok & Reardon, 2013, p. 1).
So what do you think: Should parents be allowed to “redshirt” their children?
Bassok D., & Reardon, S. (2013). “Academic redshirting” in kindergarten: Prevalence, patterns, and implications. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 35(3), 283-297. doi: 10.3102/0162373713482764
constantlearnerblog 
I have not even heard of this before following your blog! What an interesting (and sort of scary) concept! I can see how this advantage would allow students to have a better opportunity at academic success. However, you stated that this was happening the most with white boys. It is widely known that boys are statistically more immature than girls and take longer to “mature” in order to grasp basic skills. I wonder then what impact this would have overall on their academic career? Would they be equal to the girls that are younger than them or would they be ahead? Thanks!
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I found myself thinking about this topic and the boys that were in my kindergarten class a few years ago. There were a few of them who I thought would have benefitted by starting school later due to a lack of maturity and inability to maintain composure during normal class activities. Several of them would have more difficult afternoons because they were tired and could not adjust to the demanding curriculum or schedule. I am not sure however, if another year at home would get them more ready for the demands of kindergarten and thus impact their overall academic careers. I would like to research the effects of academic redshirting on students whose parents work with them at home and those who send their children to preschool. Are children who do not attend preschool more likely to be redshirted than students who do attend preschool? This is definitely a multi-faceted topic.
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I was just having this same type of discussion during a parent teacher conference on Friday. This child is in her second year of preschool because her birthday falls just short of the kindergarten date but still qualified her for our program last year (in my state children need to be five by September 1st). Her pediatrician could not see why her mother had not proposed to the school for her to start kindergarten this passed September instead of spending another year with us. While this child is cognitively ready for that step, her social – emotional skills still need further developing for her to ready for that step. They were holding her back until she was ready, not to gain an advantage.
Thinking of my own daughter and her November birthday, we will be facing the same dilemma very soon. While she is picking up everything that we are teaching her, her social – emotional skills when relating with classmates may need more time. If this is the case, I don’t see a problem with holding a child back, but I was also one of the oldest in my class when I started as well due to my birthday. I did not feel an advantage myself or a disadvantage although turning 16 well before my friends was a nice perk.
I think if the child’s well being is the reason and not to give them what they think is an academic advantage, starting a child later is great. They are more prepared for the classroom setting.
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I think that the whole child’s developmental levels should be considered when academic redshirting is being discussed. If a child is ready emotionally and academically for kindergarten but are lacking in the physical development area, is it appropriate to keep them out of kindergarten for another year? I started school when I was younger and my mom was actually not given the option of keeping me out for another year. As a result, I struggled academically and needed extra support outside of school to be successful. I am not sure if there is a correct answer for this issue but I do think that the whole child should be assessed and that the affect of starting a child one year later will have on their social emotional development as well as their academic development.
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I have certainly heard of this before. I didn’t know the exact term that you used for it, but I am happy to know that I have the correct terminology for it now. In fact, I have a child in my first grade classroom whose parent decided to “redshirt” him. This is what she told me at Open House this year: My child did not begin Kindergarten on time because he has delayed development. He began Kindergarten last year and was only barely promoted. He is very inconsistent with his abilities and has an RTI. He is transferring here from another school where he had been approved for tier 3 intervention at the end of the school year.
In this particular case, redshirting didn’t help very much because he just qualified for special education due to a learning disability. In this case, I believe that reshirting may have made the child fall even farther behind because if he had gone to school earlier, his specific learning disability could have been identified sooner and he could have gotten an IEP earlier rather than going through school and being expected to perform at the same level as his grade level peers when he was not developmentally able to do so. He could have been entered into the “Babies Can’t Wait” program to have early intervention by trained professionals and he could have possibly been performing on grade level by now if he had been granted the opportunity.
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The situation that you describe is one of the reasons that some academics do not agree with redshirting children. As with the student you describe, there are other children whose delay of kindergarten entry is not going to help them be more developmentally ready because they have developmental delays or deficits that need to be assessed. When discussing this topic with a friend, I suggested the possibility of putting parameters on the parents abilities to redshirt such as support from a doctor or teacher. Her comment on this was that the parents knows the child better and should be able to do what they feel is in the best interest of their child. But in the case of children like the one that you described, his deficits in academic development would have been recognized earlier if he had been in school. What are your thoughts on the idea of parents needing a supportive recommendation before being allowed to redshirt their child?
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Demetria,
I have not heard of the term “Academic red-shirting” before, though I have heard of parents delaying their child’s start in school. I agree with the parent’s ability to make this decision for their child if it is made with the intentions of doing what is best for the child. The start of school is not just a challenging time for the student, it is also one for the parents, as well. While children often undergo an adjustment period when beginning school, their families undergo one as well, as they both adjust to the rules, routines and the requirements of the school and teacher.
I do not support families keeping a child from attending school, because the parents are not able or are not willing to meet the demands and/or provide the support that the child needs to be successful. However, i do support this decision of parents who choose to have their child wait until they are developmentally, socially/emotionally and/or physically ready to start kindergarten. It is all about what is best for the child.
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Hello Constantlearner!
Your title really stuck out to me and it was as if it was being announced at a game. However, my thoughts on your issue is rather intriguing and I find no faults in redshirting. My reason, because the parents are making decisions that will eventually benefit their children. Even though I have never heard of this term, but I am aware of some parents delaying their children education start.
To me this just seems as if the parents are engaged and they want what’s best for their child. Now, if redshirting had been the issue of not allowing children to attend school, this would be a problem. You stated “because they will be more physically and cognitively developed than the children in their class whose kindergarten entry was not delayed” (Constantlearner, 2015). I do not see anything wrong with this. To me it’s as if they are providing their children with a head start.
However, I was reading in an article by Ferrari, N. (2012) within this article she stated the evidence that parents should not have to hold children back, but insisted that the children are involved in adequate play with adults.
Ferrari, N. (2012) specified this statement Research shows that play actually leads to improved academic skills. In this fast-track world, it may be hard to believe that play is critical for brain development, but it is. Play, which is really a child’s ‘work,’ contributes to cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth (para. 4).
My belief is parent rights to do as they please as long as it’s beneficial to the children. In this case you have pros and cons to this particular issue. After reading your article and other sources, the verdict is split. I agree with Ferrari within the article, because children does need adequate meaningful play. Thus, if parents are meeting those needs, then I see no problem, as long as the children are prepared and not failing in school.
You have a passion for this issue, but your main issue seems to be parental involvement. In this case, the parents are involved and I read within your post that parents of redshirting are the parents that will be involved. I feel if this issue is so vital, then you should continue to be passionate about it and deliver your message as you have within this post.
I feel this issue has its pro and cons so I find nothing challenging. However, this issue can be reinforced by making it public and parent meetings. To my understanding in reading the article by Ferrari redshirting is spread by word of mouth, by parents within the neighborhood. So this issue can be reinforced by word of mouth as well.
My questions is: What is so alarming about redshirting? Has there been any research or reports that can vindicate that redshirting is a ghastly idea? If so please present the information.
References
Ferrari, N. (2012). Kindergarten redshirting is popular, but is it necessary? Retrieved from Havard Health Publication Web site: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/kindergarten-redshirting-is-popular-but-is-it-necessary-201203064455
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