The Case Against Kindergarten Red-Shirting

Almost every state has increased the age at which children are allowed to start primary school. This is remarkable, given the strong evidence that, in the United States, starting school later decreases educational attainment.

Redshirting is referred to as “the gift of time” in education circles, reflecting a perception that children who have been allowed to mature for another year will benefit more from their schooling. As we will discuss, little evidence supports this perception.

Link to the full study (PDF); via The Atlantic.
Esmé has entered the terrible twos. This one is beautiful, but beware, she has a will of steel.
Last night, we were getting in the car to go home after a little get-together. It was a beautiful, cool night, and the stars were out. As Max was getting into his seat, he looked up at the sky and said,
Daddy, outside is like a big room, and the sky is the ceiling, and all of the things in the world are just like things in the room.

Brothers K. Cuts Deep

To wit,
He tried not to think of it, but that did not help either. The most irritating thing about it was that the anxiety seemed completely accidental, external, as if it had nothing to do with him. Something was disturbing his conscience, just as some object may irritate a person, when he is absorbed in work or a heated argument, without his being aware of it. The irritation grows and grows and becomes really painful before he manages to remove the offending object, which often turns out to be some insignificant thing like a handkerchief that has fallen on the floor or a book that has not been replaced in the bookcase.