I think Bazelon does a good job illustrating the negative aspects of "red shirting". But she fails to point out that there may be very valid and compelling reasons to wait, besides test scores and lifetime earnings.

I will only speak about my personal life and experience. I was very young (over a year younger than everyone else) all the way through my schooling because I test well. But I was emotionally very immature and I can honestly say IT SUCKED. I had a lot of trouble socializing and had a lot of social anxiety because of it.

Bazelon focuses on test scores and earnings. But she glosses over the question of whether a child is socially ready for school.

While I agree that parents should not "red shirt" just to get a leg up academically, I also don't think that parents should feel bad about "red shirting" if the child is not socially ready.

My personal experience was very different. Being a summer birthday, I was always one of the youngest kids in class, but I was always in advanced classes and never had any trouble socializing. I do remember being among the last to lose a tooth, develop breasts, transition out of the tomboy phase, etc., but it never caused anxiety or social problems.

There are always other factors when it comes to a kid's ability to socialize- for instance, it may have made a difference that I'd been in preschool for a couple of hours a day for two years before kindergarten, or that I was the oldest child at home.

It may be a contributing factor, but I really don't think you can hold your kindergarten age responsible for social anxiety.

Selene,

Some kids are naturally confident and outgoing and are not bothered by looking younger or being interested in different things. Those kids will do fine. For others, it can lead to a loss of confidence. Every kid is different.

I have to agree with Selene212 here. Both my wife and I were 17 when we 1st started college. (We both turned 18 by the end of our 1st semester.) I believe that means were we not even 5 years old when we started kindergarten. Like a lot of people, I had my share of social anxiety/"fitting in" issues, but I never really felt me being 6 months younger than most of my classmates had anything to do with it. Of course, there are exceptions and the person who started this post may have been a valid exception.

it ought to be case by case, each kid is different. each parent/situation is diferent too.

the difference between 59 months and 71 months can be an eternity at that age.

not so much as 17 years versus 18, but still a gap all the same.

You're spot on, Dawdler. I do think Emily Bazelon gives too much weight to the researchers clearly concerned about the societal effects of redshirting, and doesn't acknowledge the (many, maybe majority of) scholars who disagree with Deming & Dynarski's views that there is "no evidence of a lasting benefit to education or earnings." But more importantly, she overlooks the social dimension of being the youngest in a class, which appears to have lasting effects (though obviously each child is different). E.g.:

"Social Acceptance in Gifted Populations," Roeper Review 23.1 (Sept 2000) - "Thus, our finding provides additional support for the hypothesis that relative age among a group of peers is a key factor in social status."

"The Relative Age Effect and the Development of Self-Esteem," Educational Research, 46.4 (Win 2004) - "Here we demonstrate that a relatively young age of entry into the formal educational system is associated with reduced self-esteem several years later. "

"What makes a leader? Relative age and high school leadership," Economics of Education Review, 27.2 (April 2008) - "We find that the relatively oldest students are 4–11 percent more likely to be high school leaders."

My daughter has always been intellectually precocious but relatively immature socially. We chose a Waldorf school with an early cut off for 1st grade as the best fit for her, and while I realize "someone has to be youngest," I would have been more comfortable with her being that someone if she was socially more confident.

Selene212

I definitely don't think my kindergarten age is responsible for my social anxiety. (Although, just to nitpick, remember that if you're a year young for your class, that is the same every year, not just kindergarten -- you'll always be a year young).

Just to be clear. I think I have social anxiety anyway. But being the youngest person in my class just exasperated it. I was a good candidate for starting later. And I'd hate to think that someone would have told my parents that they shouldn't delay my schooling because it's "not good for the people".

I definitely think that there are plenty of people -- like yourself, or my own son who is extremely social at 2 and 1/2 -- who will do absolutely fine being young for their class.

My main issue with this article is that it seems to focus on broad metrics like lifetime earnings, test scores and getting into a better college as the factors that go into this decision. And it didn't even mention social readiness as a possible factor, whereas I think that's a huge factor for a lot of parents.

Also, I definitely got a pretty snotty vibe in there as well with the "little Hudson" comment and some other stylistic things. I definitely got a class-war vibe and I'm not really buying that this is purely a class thing.

I also started school "early"....I have a late October birthday and the cut-off for my district was Dec. 31. I started at 4 years old and graduated when I was under 18. Starting school later causes problems when people turn 18 before they graduate (and potentially because they will be 21 sooner than their peers, in a college environment), but starting school early causes its own set of problems. Aside from the maturity issue, you can't drive as soon (esp. when combined w/ graduated licensing laws), which causes headaches for parents. You also have a harder time working because of age requirements at certain companies. Applying to college adn filling out legal documents needs a parent's signature because you are a minor, something that can drive an "adult" nuts. In the college setting, turing 21 later can keep you out of social events or put you in awkward situations (legal-wise) when all you friends are drinking and you don't want to get in trouble.

I can see why parents might want their kids to start school later. Believe me, I can. But there are advantages in both directions. If your kid is ready, start now; don't try to force it in either direction.