1. Redshirting Children: Sports Jargon meets Kindergarten
Jessa Hay, Eastern Kentucky University
The Myth: Holding a child back to start kindergarten at 6 instead of
5 will make them a leader in academics and athletics.
The Truth: Parents are more concerned than the children are
References
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown, 2008. Print.
Holbrook, Sharon. "'Redshirting' Kindergarten-Age Kids Can Lead to Regrets." Parenting, Children and Parents -
Motherlode Blog - The New York Times. The New York Times, 7 Jan. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
Moyer, Melinda Wenner. "Can Your Kid Hack It in Kindergarten, or Should You Redshirt Him?" Slate Magazine.
Advice for Parents, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
Wallace, Jennifer Breheny. "Should Children Be Held Back for Kindergarten?" WSJ. The Wall Street Journal, 12 Sept.
2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
Academic
• “Kindergarten is the new 1st grade
• Older kids getting bored with curriculum, so schools
forced to make it harder
• Schooling influences more than age
• Redshirted kids performed worse on high school exams
and twice as likely to drop out of school
• Have lower lifetime earnings due to entering work field a
year later
Social
• Up to a 19 month age spread
• Older kids tend to become bored more easily
• Not interested in behaviors of 5-year-old classmates
• Creates harder curriculum to keep older kids interested
• Not finding any challenges in school
• Often need special education services
• More likely to drop out of school and not go to college
Physical
• More likely to play varsity sports
• Sometimes brings more competitive edge
• No guarantee they’ll play sports
• Main reason wealthy, white boys are held back
• Those closer to the cutoff date for sports more
likely to “play down” to look bigger against the
competition
The Facts:
• ¼ of kindergarten classrooms populated with 6-
year-olds
• Close to an 18 month age gap
• Redshirting has tripled since the 70s
• Most likely to be wealthy, white boys