Importance of Uniforms in Schools - Speech or Presentation Example

Brunsma and Rockquemore (54) define school uniform by arguing that clothing would be considered uniform if it sufficed as an emblem of a group, suppressed individuality and demonstrated the legitimacy of an institution by revealing the relative positions of individuals. Studies by Brunsma and Rockquemore back the argument that school uniforms improve behavior among both the female and male students (53). These studies indicate that suspensions from schools reduce drastically with adoption of school uniforms and in cases where an increase would be recorded, infractions of school uniform regulations could be the outright cause and not other forms of indiscipline.

This suggests that the behavior of students shifts towards less severe infractions. In Norfolk, Ruffner Middle School recorded a 42% decrease in referrals related to discipline following the introduction of uniforms. The improved discipline in students translates to improved academic achievement. Research on elementary students to ascertain this hypothesis deduced a 10% improvement on test scores after adoption of school uniforms with 0.05 standard deviations. . Without uniforms, clothing could distract students especially the teenagers known to dress to be noticed by others.

Holtz reported that teenage students would put on “shirts that comment on reasons not to do homework, may be associated with gang colors and symbols or expose too much skin” hence causing distraction to other students. Too much time would be spent on dressing up to impress others at the expense of concentrating on academic work. Standardized clothing would ensure that all students are at the same level hence no one would stand out to distract others. It builds team spirit and the desire for good ambassadorship hence promoting healthy academic competition among students from different schools (Stafford and Wade 416).

Brunsma and Rockquemore (54) argue that if uniforms socially control the behavior of students, students in uniforms would therefore portray behaviors consistent with the goals of their respective schools. School uniforms make it easier to identify unauthorized visitors thus preventing use of insignia and gang colors, which in turn reduces theft with students no longer having to bring along expensive clothing to school. These authors give the example of the effectiveness of school uniforms for safety of students in gang plagued areas in Los Angeles where putting on some colors could set off fights.

The Long Beach School District also noted 50% decrease in muggings and fights and 74% decrease in sexual offences with the introduction of school uniforms (Brunsma and Rockquemore 54). Being a sign of group membership, school uniforms would signal those outside the school membership. Indeed, the argument on