Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?

School Uniforms are being pushed more and more in schools, but what is commonly thought of when the words “school uniform” is said? For most people the picture of children in the same colored uniforms gathered in front of a Catholic Church or a private school is displayed in their mind. This picture is one of the many problems with school uniforms. Instead of being seen as an individual, students are seen as just another kid in a uniform attending a fancy private school. The students cannot develop the self-expression that is crucial to their development at this age. Uniforms are thought to create a more protected campus and learning environment, however, if someone wants to bully someone else, clothes are not going to stop them. The cost, which is usually seen as a pro, can actually be more than people anticipate. As one can see, in the best interest of any student, school uniforms should not be made part of the dress code.

One of the biggest miseries of back-to-school is the return of the uniform. From tiny villages to the nation’s largest cities, school uniforms have grown so familiar in the last few years that in numerous districts of the world, they’re no longer the exception, but an order. You would think the great school uniform debate shouldn't be that controversial of a subject, after all, we’re only talking about clothes here. However, uniforms have led to many heated arguments among parents of many students, despite the debate, there are in fact many advantages and disadvantages to requiring students to wear those attire to school. Despite all opinions regulations that impose school uniforms could possibly be civil rights violations, such as the right to free speech, right to privacy and freedom of religion. In spite the fact that many parents and the majority of the students are against the obligation of uniforms, it's still an exceedingly popular tendency among schools. Most people are in disagreement with the idea for many reasons, for instance, they believe it abolishes the students right to express themselves freely, it harms the outcome of a student self-image and sabotages the assurance of a free education by imposing an extra expense on families.

In the article “Do uniforms make schools better”, Marian Wilde states that in the past decade, school, parents and students had clashed over the issue of regulating student attire. In the 1980s, public schools were often compared to Catholic schools for no reason. So some of the public school decided to adopt the school uniform policy. In 1996, President Clinton provided momentum to the school uniform movement in his 1996 State of the Union Speech. President Clinton said “ If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.” There is some pros and cons for having school uniforms. Some pros for school uniforms would be to help identify intruders easily, prevent gangs from forming on campus, and increase a sense of belonging and school pride. Some cons for school uniforms would be violating a student’s right to freedom of expression, making a student a target for bullies from other school, and it’s an unfair additional expense for parents. School uniforms shouldn’t be required at schools, especially at Kailua High School.

In 1994, the school district of Long Beach California was one of the first to enforce school uniforms in the grades Kindergarten through 8th, and crime rates in the district dropped 22% soon after. School attendance also improved after the uniforms were introduced. Although this one statistic shows there are positive outcomes from school uniforms, there is one question that remains: Do school uniforms help or harm the students and environment at school? The controversy among this topic is that some people believe that uniforms improve the way kids act in class, however, others believe that school uniforms make their behavior worse. Another thing that certain people don’t like about uniforms is that they are very costly. A woman in Indianapolis was interviewed and said that she has five kids that all need uniforms, and with all the costs combined she had to pay almost $700. She found it was an outrage because she has a son who was a senior at the time and she had to pay for his uniforms as well. Even though she believed that uniforms are not an advantage, other people have the belief that uniforms have a positive outcome. In fact, some people think that the students’ behavior becomes subsequently better in the classroom setting; this is proven in the Long Beach study. There is also proof that school uniforms save people lots of money. This is because parents in one

Teachers, students, and parents today are faced with the question of if students should be allowed to wear uniforms or not. Many argumentative questions have aroused due this simple question. Many people believe student should wear uniforms making it better and easier on the students and parents. Whereas there are many people who would feel similar, but feeling as though students should not have to wear uniforms. Questions like these show you how touchy of a subject this is, and how many different factors come into play when dealing with uniforms. There are many agreeable reasons to wearing a uniforms presented by many teachers, parents, and students. While there are even more reasons people will argue against wearing them.

School uniforms and dress codes are becoming a popular trend among schools. Most Students and some parents don’t agree with the enforcement with school uniforms, saying that uniforms are taking away self-expression in schools. But, school uniforms are not a negative thing to have. Yes, uniforms and some very strict dress codes limit what the students have to choose to wear to school every day, but it doesn’t limit them from learning which is the main reason they are in school. Some students treat school as a fashion show, so eliminating the size of wardrobe shifts the attention toward their school work. Although requiring students to wear school uniforms may violate their self-expression in some ways, a uniform is supposed to be looked

Furthermore, the main focus of schools is altered when school uniforms are enforced. Instead of focusing more on the education of students, most schools tend to make dress code policies as the main focus. Schools who favor the school uniform policy believe that it will improve academic achievement. However, there is not much research and evidence that proves their belief as a fact. One research that was proven to show

The effect on a student that administrators want is that by taking their free will of how they dress away they will create a better learning environment. Without the allure free expressing one's self the students are not able to be rowdy and disruptive in the classroom. According to Devbra “ David L. Brunsma, a researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Brunsma, an assistant professor of sociology, has been studying the movement for public school uniforms since 1996. The research done by them will express how uniforms do not bring positive effects to the school environment. A statement made by David L ,Brunsma was “Requiring students to wear uniforms is a change that affects not only students, but also school faculty and parents. Instituting a mandatory uniform policy is a change that is immediate, highly visible, and shifts the environmental landscape of any particular school. Changing the landscape is a superficial change, but it attracts attention because of its visible nature.” By looking at his findings one can see how uniforms cause a chain of events to happen when they are implemented and how uniforms affects much more than just the students. This is why uniforms are hard to enforce in public systems because of how many people are affected to the change. By evaluating another point made by Debra Viadero “ Despite the anecdotal meanderings of politicians, community members, educators, board members, parents, and students, uniforms have not been effective at attacking the very outcomes and issues they were assumed to aid.” The message of how uniforms goal of creating a better learning environment and increasing student performance is not met.

As the years pass, many students have been bullied, a bully, or they just hate school and this was affecting their lives academically. School boards tried to find a way to improve the way students feel about themselves and about school, and they came up with the idea of school uniforms. School uniforms have been associated with just the Catholic school, but are now showing up in public schools across the country. According to the National Center for Education Statistics: Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2011, twenty-one states require students to wear uniforms in the public school system (Pros and Cons of School Uniforms Statistics). This has seemed to work tremendously in the school system. In education, school uniforms assist with student success, academically, socially, and personally.

The idea of uniforms being required for public school students has been a widely controversial topic in the recent past. In the 2003-2004 school year, only one in eight public schools required students to wear uniforms (ProConorg Headlines). In the 2013-2014 school year, one in five public schools required students to wear uniforms (ProConorg Headlines). This essay will discuss the reasons that uniforms restrict the individuality of students, burdens families that cannot afford two sets of clothes for each of their children (Farrell), and serve little to none purpose in benefitting the education of students. Uniforms are meant for the workforce, not school children.

It is a belief that school uniforms teach students to respect their learning environment and behave themselves, and, therefore improving discipline. However, that assumption isn’t entirely correct. Researchers have actually found that school uniforms don’t make students better behaved. According to a study of more than 4,500 students, those who wore a school uniform did not have fewer behavior problems or better attendance. Forcing students to wear uniforms lead to more problems and misbehavior instead of encouraging discipline. Students could get into trouble if they did not wear their uniforms correctly. Many kids in today’s society cannot stand the thought of someone telling them what to do, especially what to wear. Instead of encouraging respect, uniforms may cause rebellions. For example, in 2009, a group of students at John A. Ferguson Senior High School rebelled against their school uniforms. Instead of following their school uniform requirements, the students wore what they thought would be a better school uniform to school. Not only uniforms don’t earn schools the respect from its students, but it may also lead to more problems.

School uniforms are typically enforced by private or charter institutions, however, public schools across the country are increasingly adopting the proposal of these uniforms. Who knew that the way a student dresses everyday could have such a responsible role in the increase of their performance within the classroom? Studies conducted by David L. Brunsma, a professor at Virginia Tech, discuss the overall effect of school uniforms on a student body. The text mentions how about one in five public schools during the 2013 -2014 school year have effectively established school uniforms at their institutions. This percentage may seem doubtfully small but from the perspective of how many public schools are in the United States, which is roughly ninety-nine thousand, the number of effected schools in the country is quite a few. Although there is not any numerical percentage of how much a student’s academic achievement increases, it is well known that uniforms simply make a student feel more calm and confident in themselves in general.

What comes to mind when uniforms come up? Most would say that they are stifling and bland, yet while school uniforms may seem like a thing of the past; they are slowly becoming more popular. Recently there have been many reports of “sexist” dress codes. One teen from Collier High who started a petition has received over 1,000 signatures for changes to the dress code. This has gained much interest from the media on whether school dress codes are really worth all the trouble. As stated by Hammerschlag, an education and investigations reporter for the Naples Daily News, “If a parent is unavailable, the student must miss classes for the rest of the day” (Hammerschlag). Students who are reprimanded, even for a small infraction such as a hole in their jeans, must sit out of class and lose precious learning time. This problem could be eliminated if schools implemented uniforms. Uniforms improve the lives of students, parents, and teachers. Surprisingly, the people most against uniforms are parents; they worry about their children’s individuality and rights. Although some parents uniforms can create a safer, more productive workplace. Uniforms do this by helping students socially, mentally, and educationally.

Around the world, several schools require their students to wear school uniforms. Many students do not adore this idea, but do they truly know how it benefits them. Some wonder if these uniforms actually improve their learning and experiences in school. Numerous questions have arisen when schools consider this idea. The debate today is growing, as schools try to figure out how they can enhance their school. There are various improvements in school systems when they reach a consensus to add school uniforms. Youngstown State University found that school uniform policies promote the rate of attendance, graduation, suspension (Occupy Theory Staff). These uniform not only help student’s education, they also help

School uniforms help create a disciplined atmosphere that is necessary for success in academics (Brookshire 01, 02). Brookshire states that in this study it was realized that, “schools implemented uniforms in an attempt to reduce clothing costs for parents and to help curb social pressures.” (Brookshire 01) Meaning that, school uniforms bring forth more than just one advantage. As the uniforms help