School Uniforms Should Not Solve All Problems Within A School System

For quite some time now there has been an ongoing discussion about students wearing school uniforms in public schools. Is students in the public-school system play a major role on them academically? Is making the students wear uniforms unfair or does it show equality? What image does it set for the schools that do have a uniform policy? Over the last few decades, the schools, parents, and students have had a debatable issue over the uniform matter.

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.

School uniforms are designed and chosen to be similar throughout for each and every student thus promoting equality. The idea is rooted on a principle that every student should dress in a similar fashion as his or her schoolmates. It means that every student will have the same all-round look for the duration spent in school. A school is expected to comprise of diverse variety of students population variety. This means there are disparities in the social and economic history of each students. A school

President Bill Clinton caught word of the new trend of school uniforms on January 23, 1996 prepared the State of the Union Address at the United States Capitol where he addressed the subject. In this speech he, “challenge all our schools to teach character education, to teach good values and good citizenship. And if it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms”. President Clinton called for the children of the nation to evaluate themselves on who they are and not what they look like on the exterior. He acknowledged Long Beach public schools for wearing uniforms and even visited the students. The New York Times reported on the President’s speech saying he is “putting discipline and learning back into our schools”. Interestingly enough, President Clinton was first introduced to the idea of mandatory school uniforms from the First Lady. The New York Times reported that this was in no way mandatory for all states to adopt and this

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.

Until twenty years ago, Long Beach Unified School Districts decided to adopt the mandatory school uniform policy. Because of this bold move, the door to school uniform policies was opened, and now more and more schools are requiring uniforms. Before 1994, less than one percent of US public schools had a mandatory school uniform policy. Once the door was opened the school uniform situation gained more attention and Gale Student Resources says, “In 1996 President Bill Clinton drew attention to school uniforms in a State of the Union Address, and the number rose to three percent during the 1996-1997 school year.” After touching the topic in the State of the Union Address, the number rose to nineteen percent.

Most commonly found in private schools, school uniforms are slowly being adopted by public schools in the US. In the 2003-2004 school year every one in eight schools required uniforms; in the 2011-2012 school year that number had increased to every one in five schools (ProCon.org). As violence increased, schools started enforcing uniforms thinking that it would solve the violence. School uniforms were created in England in the 16th century for students referred to as the “charity children” (ProCon.org). In later centuries, high-class schools were the most commonly known for requiring their students to wear uniforms. The first recorded time a public school in the US required uniforms was in 1987, a school in Maryland put out an optional uniform policy (ProCon.org). Uniforms have been being enforced by private schools for years, but now public schools are trying to enforce them. Students should not be required to wear uniforms because it refuses students the ability to express themselves, dress codes are more effective, and uniforms can cause a detrimental effect on self-image.

Brunsma wrote a book which is called “The School Uniform Movement and What it tells Us About American Education: A Symbolic Crusade” and in that book he made a “historical, and “empirical” case about how the uniform movement is significant in several ways (Brunsma 50). In this article the reason why he thinks the uniform movement is significant is because one “the number of schools with the mandatory uniform policies today is 15 times what it was in the mid-1980’s” (Brunsma 50). Another one of his reasons is “the uniform policies are expanding across all levels of K-12 public education” (Brunsma 50). David L. Brunsma final reason was “the movement continues to grow in popularity with administrators and parents despite research in the past decade that is beginning to show that school uniforms do not work!” (Brunsma 50). The reason why he came up with those ways because he really is interested in collecting educational and social data that would help him understand the school uniform policy schools have now-a-days. Another also is because he had never experienced having to wear a uniform when he was in school, so because of that made him more interested in the

Walmsley (2011) specifies the four main reasons many schools mandate school uniforms: “1) enhanced school safety, 2) improved learning climate, 3) higher self esteem for students, and 4) less stress on the family” (p. 63). By issuing school uniforms, students are less distracted by the clothing their peers wear, and more focused on their school work (Walmsley, 2011).

Wouldn’t you appreciate that your children always know what to wear for school? School uniform is what makes it easy! A set of clothing that is mainly worn, school uniform is one of the school's policy and recommendation. Generally worn in elementary and middle school, this outfit is composed of specific colors of long or short pants and shirts for boys, sometimes with a tie. Girls usually wear a dress or a blouse worn either with a skirt or pants, all however have the same colors. This dress code determines even the type of shoes that should be worn at school. School uniform may vary from school to school, but it remains the basis dress code for the education system. The adoption of school extensive uniform mandatory has been encouraged

The Debate Over School Uniforms Context In some countries, e.g. Britain and many Caribbean states, it is common for school pupils to have to wear distinctive uniforms identifying them with a particular institution, especially to the end of compulsory education at 16. In others, e.g. France, the USA, it is rare for uniforms to be worn, although some private schools may retain them. In both situations the desirability of school uniforms remains controversial among students, parents and educationalists. As a result of this some schools have abandoned uniform at the same time as others have adopted it.

Regardless of whether the school is private or public, the use of school uniforms should be executed as a way to promote an environment that helps students get the most out of their school education.

School uniform is one of the subjects that its effects on student still not clear. Each state, in the United States, has its own policy about the school uniform. In 1996, Former president Clinton and the Department of Education induced schools to approve uniforms (Mitchell, 1996). After several years, many public schools start to ask their students to wear the uniform. In the past, the uniform polices was only for the private schools. There were several arguments about the benefit of uniforms. For example, one of argument is the students’ safety. It said that the uniform decreases the fights and it can help in differentiate the stranger who coming to school from the student. Another argument is about the students’ achievements. This argument said that the uniform increases the achievement of the student by increasing the attendance rate. However, some point of views was opposite the school uniforms. The reasons of opposition are about the financing situation and the actual effects of the uniform on the students. It suggests that uniform will affect by increasing the payment on the low-income people. Also, it suggests that there is no evidence that the uniform can improve the achievement of the students. (Brunsma, 1998)

The concept of schools having uniforms is still new in the U.S. It was not popularized until the late 90s, which started when “Long Beach, California, adopted a district wide mandatory rule on uniforms for all elementary and middle-school students” (Lewin). It is still debatable whether or not school uniforms are genuinely accepted by the student and parent body, however, the idea of being well-dressed and not being pressured to think of what to wear every single day to school does not seem that bad.

Uniforms are an outfit that all children in school wear it to be equal. The entire students in the school are Wearing uniforms. Uniforms it is a discipline and educational attainment for students’. Schools dress a role in educational attainment and its impact on students and social differences. Students should wear uniform for schools because it’s saving their time, improving their attendance and saving their money while they are wearing it.