Abstract
This article examines the intersection of school segregation, academic redshirting, and kindergarten admissions policies in New York City (“NYC”) Public Schools. Historically shaped by redlining, NYC’s educational landscape is currently fractured by a "hidden" redshirting-like effect: a kindergarten cutoff that allows four-year-olds into public school while private schools and most school districts across the country require students to be five. This discrepancy disproportionately affects Black and Brown families and children with disabilities, leading to increased rates of subjective special education classifications for the youngest students in a cohort. The author argues that reform is both a moral and economic imperative. The article proposes a gradual, four-year transition to a mandatory five-year-old kindergarten age entry requirement. Crucially, this shift must be coupled with the expansion of universal childcare, early intervention services, and preschool to prevent a "childcare gap" for low-income families. By aligning public and private admissions and centering Disability Justice, NYC can mitigate systemic racism and ableism. This dual-policy approach seeks to level the foundational playing field of the NYC public education system, transforming a scarcity-based model into one that centers intersectionality, interdependence, and justice.
Recommended Citation
Rebecca Daverin Lelchuk,
FROM REDLINING TO REDSHIRTING:
HOW THE NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS’
KINDERGARTEN ENTRY POLICY
PERPETUATES INEQUITY,
34 J. L. & Pol'y
4
(2025).
Available at:
https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/jlp/vol34/iss1/2