School Uniforms are Necessary in Todays World - Essay Example

School Uniforms are Necessary in Today’s World A growing trend throughout the nation in the past decade has been for an increasing number of public school districts to adopt either a very strict dress code policy or a uniform policy. Uniform policies are generally preferred by most school districts because there is less room for question and numerous benefits to the school and students on a variety of levels. Schools benefit in areas of security and authority when all of the students follow a similar dress pattern. Students benefit by reducing the number of concerns they must deal with during school hours, freeing their minds to focus more on the academic issues they should be concerned with while attending classes. There is a long history of the use of uniforms in school, most coming from the private sector until recent years, all of which demonstrate these benefits do exist. While most of the uniform policies used in public schools include relatively general restrictions, such as navy or khaki pants and solid color shirts with collars without brand name requirements or specific, school-related insignia required, there has still been a great opposition to these policies by people who mistakenly insist that school uniform policies somehow restrict a child’s ability to express him or herself. Examining the history of the use of school uniforms in public schools in this country reveals that requiring school uniforms provides a number of advantages that outweigh any arguments against them. The idea of requiring students to wear uniforms is nothing new and has been used for at least a century to help foster a sense of academia and respect for oneself within the school setting. When President Clinton said “I believe we should give strong support to school districts that decide to require young students to wear school uniforms”, he had based his opinion on a history of school uniforms having a calming effect on students (cited in Weitzel, 2004: 10). In England, school uniforms had been used for years both to distinguish those children who were part of the lower classes, attending schools that provided their uniform clothing for them, and to distinguish those children who were of the decidedly upper class as a badge of honor and social placement. “As can be seen in the history of the school uniform, such requirements of standardized dress also include a symbolic rhetoric of legitimate authority, a reservoir of institutional and organizational values of the school, and a method of social and cultural control over cohorts of students moving through the system. Those without a uniform would feel left out” (Brunsma, 2004: 6). By including students in a recognized group as a member of a particular student body, uniforms are successful in building a sense of community and cooperation among children who might not otherwise work together. At the same time, regulations requiring specific items of clothing such as a ‘red or white solid colored shirt with collar’ serve to ensure that there are a large number of people in the market for these items, driving the price down as they become produced in mass quantities. Children who outgrow their uniforms are also able to donate them for children who can’t afford them, proving that the English use of the uniform as a means of cutting costs can be effective. Studies into fashion and self-expression have proven that there is a direct link between the way we feel about ourselves and the type of clothing we wear. “With fashion and dress adapting to represent the ever-changing self, fashion therefore serves as a vehicle for establishing identity and self-concept” (Weitzel, 2004: 12). Thus, regardless of the type of clothing we wear, we are always making a statement about who we are and what we wish to be associated with. Parents often argue against the concept of school uniforms because they say these types of requirements prevent students from expressing themselves. Beyond questioning whether we really want our students associating themselves through dress with gangsters and the emotionally unstable, it must be remembered that there are a number of jobs in the ‘real’ world that also require a standardized uniform, sometimes much more rigidly defined than the school systems. “Police officers, firemen, airline employees, nurses, doctors, lawyers and all branches of the military have some form of required dress. Most of our blue collar workers are also required to wear a uniform in the performing of their jobs … It makes them a part of a team that performs a certain job in a certain manner and provides for a more cohesive work environment” (Messer, 2008: 2). In the same way this process works for adults, making them a part of a team and encouraging a work environment attitude and approach, requiring uniforms in school also works for students, encouraging them to shift their thinking during school hours to school matters, in keeping with the seriousness of their clothing and that of their peers. Requiring students in public school to wear uniforms is also a tremendous support for the school system. One of the immediate benefits is that a required student dress code makes any individual not in uniform instantly identifiable by staff, making it much easier for teachers and administrators to identify non-students/staff on campus and confine them until their purpose is clear. In addition, uniforms enable the school to restrict clothing with potential to conceal weapons, an increasing issue in today’s school systems nationwide. “Like other urban school uniform policies, Long Beach’s was intended to curb gang problems, and school officials not only credit it with having accomplished that goal, but also say uniforms have brought about a substantial drop in school crime, a drop in school suspensions and disciplinary problems and improved student attendance rates and academics” (White, 2000). In addition, with everyone dressed the same, there is a marked decrease in the antagonism expressed between students based on clothing issues. Cliques are slower to form, students are more willing to work with each other in the classroom and there is a general tendency to begin appreciating others for what they are on the inside rather than how they appear on the outside. As a result of the decreased antagonism and fewer hiding places for weaponry, the school is a more peaceful place and teachers are facilitated in protecting and instructing students during the day. While there will probably always be those who argue against the implementation of a uniform policy within the school system, it cannot be denied that requiring students to wear uniforms to school is a wise decision. History has taught us that the use of school uniforms can be both a source of pride and community involvement among the psyche of the students. They feel they are a part of something larger than themselves and something that can be respected regardless of any adverse home conditions. This helps to foster a sense of seriousness in the same way that uniforms or dress codes function in the working environment to convey a sense of purpose. Students are able to focus on their studies and to consider academics as a more important activity than hanging around the mall. Finally, uniforms in schools provide significant security improvements to the school. Uniforms don’t provide the many hiding places for weaponry that the baggy clothes of today’s fashions provide and make non-students immediately visible by their lack of compliance with requirements. These benefits far outweigh the weak complaint that somehow a uniform prevents a child from expressing their individuality. Works Cited Brunsma, David L. The School Uniform Movement and what it tells us about American Education. Boston: Rowman & Littlefield, (2004). Messer, Joy. “School Uniforms and Dress Codes – Do They Help?” Associated Content. Vol. 195, (August 12, 2008). Weitzel, Brian Thomas. School Uniforms: An Empirical Analysis and Observational Study of the Implications in Public Schools. Kalamazoo College, (Winter 2004). White, Kerry A. “Do School Uniforms Fit?” The School Administrator. American Association of School Administrators, (February 2000). Brunsma, David L. The School Uniform Movement and what it tells us about American Education. Boston: Rowman & Littlefield, (2004). You can download and print however much you want of this book from this website address. http://books.google.com/books?id=eUlOtatZgmEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=support+school+uniforms Weitzel, Brian Thomas. School Uniforms: An Empirical Analysis and Observational Study of the Implications in Public Schools. Kalamazoo College, (Winter 2004). You can download and print however much you want of this study from this website address. http://www.kzoo.edu/educ/sip/2004sips/Weitzel.pdf February 2000 Features Do School Uniforms Fit? School districts increasingly test one-style-fits-all dress policies to promote positive attitudes By KERRY A. WHITE School leaders in the Ridley School District in suburban Philadelphia weighed carefully their decision to require school uniforms last fall. Parents were surveyed and community concerns were aired before the nine-member school board’s unanimous decision in July to adopt a mandatory uniform policy for students in grades kindergarten through five. Under the new policy, the districts elementary school students are leaving their baggy pants and crop tops in the closet on school mornings to don regulation khaki pants, shorts or skirts "of the appropriate size" and hunter green or white shirts, which must be worn tucked in. Ridley officials say the new policy is intended to foster a team learning environment and help teachers and administrators maintain order. "We wanted our school district to be ahead of the curve," says John R. Cleghorn, director of support services in the 5,700-student district. "We think it will reduce disciplinary problems, improve school spirit and classroom behavior and make it easier for school staff to identify who belongs on campus." Ridley schools are among the first in Pennsylvania to take advantage of a 1998 state law that allows school districts to set their own dress codes. And as policymakers and school officials race to find solutions to hard-to-solve problems ranging from low student achievement to school violence, the district is part of a growing movement nationally to adopt the one-style-fits-all dress policy. Wider Acceptance The idea is not a new one. School uniforms have been mandatory in private and parochial schools for centuries, but they’ve only emerged as a popular policy option for public schools in the last decade or so--this despite the fact that school uniforms never have been singled out as a main factor in private and parochial schools success. "Theyre a relatively recent phenomenon," says Ronald D. Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center at Pepperdine University in Westlake Village, Calif. "In the wake of school shootings, communities and schools are much more willing to embrace uniforms as well as a number of other strategies to enhance student safety." While there are no national data quantifying the number of schools nationwide that have adopted school uniform policies, scattered surveys give an indication of their growing numbers. In a 10-state survey by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the clothing company Lands End two years ago, 11 percent of elementary and middle school principals said their schools currently mandated uniforms, and 15 percent said their schools were considering adopting them. By contrast, only a few public schools were experimenting with uniforms a decade earlier. Their overall acceptance is growing too. In a national survey of 1,000 parents last May by Lands End, which has come out with its own line of school uniforms, 18 percent of respondents said their children would be in uniforms this school year, and 56 percent said they would support school uniforms if their schools adopted them. All uniform policies, of course, are not the same. Some are very loose, requiring that students abide by more of a dress code--navy or khaki pants and white shirts of their choosing, for example. Others require students to purchase the same selection of clothes from a chosen manufacturer. While most schools allow students to opt out of uniforms for religious or personal reasons, some do not. One District’s Lead Public school uniform policies date back to the 1980s, when selected schools in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Miami-Dade County, Bridgeport, Conn., and Detroit began requiring them. In 1994, the Long Beach, Calif., Unified School District was the first in the nation to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. Like other urban school uniform policies, Long Beachs was intended to curb gang problems, and school officials not only credit it with having accomplished that goal, but also say uniforms have brought about a substantial drop in school crime, a drop in school suspensions and disciplinary problems and improved student attendance rates and academics. Today, students in all 57 of Long Beachs elementary schools, all 15 of its middle schools and one high school are wearing uniforms. "Weve seen significant improvements in student behavior and student achievement," says Dick Van Der Laan, spokesman for the 93,000-student district. He says the districts test scores are up across the board and absenteeism and suspensions are the lowest theyve been for more than a decade. "School uniforms have helped us set and achieve high standards and helped to create a setting that says youre here to learn." After hearing about Long Beach’s much-touted success, President Clinton went on to endorse the idea in a March 1996 speech, saying: "If it means that the school rooms will be more orderly and more disciplined and that our young people will learn to evaluate themselves by what they are on the inside, instead of what theyre wearing on the outside, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms." Soon after the presidents endorsement, the U.S. Department of Education sent a school uniform manual to every school district in the country. The guide, "School Uniforms: Where They Are and Why They Work," listed the potential benefits of school uniforms, including a decrease in violence and theft, a decrease in gang activity, less peer pressure and better discipline. From there, school uniform policies took off, especially in urban districts. Today, nearly half of the nation’s big urban school systems have adopted school uniform policies for all or some of their schools, according to the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, the Council of the Great City Schools. "While theyre not universally accepted, some cities [with uniform policies] find that it helps decrease crime and violence," says Michael D. Casserly, the council’s executive director. Urban school leaders have reported "it also helps to take the emphasis off things that arent related to academics," he adds. Suburban Spread But the trend has not limited itself to urban schools. The latest school systems considering school uniform policies are, like Pennsylvanias Ridley, largely suburban. While most of these school systems have fewer problems with school violence and discipline than their urban counterparts--fewer gangs and weapons, less antagonism over status clothes and better student achievement overall--officials are banking on some of the same positive payoffs of which their urban counterparts boast. "We want to help remove some of the stigma associated with clothes," says Margo Olivares-Seck, superintendent of the 4,700-student Dysart Unified School District in Surprise, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix. Under her districts policy, school-based councils, made up of parents, teachers and the schools principal, decide whether their schools should adopt uniforms. This year, students at five of the districts seven schools are requiring students to wear navy blue pants or shorts and white, collared shirts. The number, says Olivares-Seck, could grow soon to include all district schools. "Its great to see kids so well dressed," she says. "You dont see boys in big, baggy pants that let their underwear show or girls in spaghetti straps … . Its helped to set an atmosphere that school is a place of learning and a place of business." Other school leaders say that in the wake of several recent school shootings, including the Columbine High School incident last April, they want to be assured they’re doing all they can to prevent school violence. "Suburban and rural schools are not exempt from big problems," says Arkansas state Sen. Kevin A. Smith, who sponsored a bill that passed during the last legislative session that requires local school boards to consider adopting school uniforms. "I think theyre a good thing all-around. It teaches more respect for schools and teachers, and it creates a more team-oriented and orderly atmosphere … . Im a parent and know the incendiary influence of clothing and appearance. Uniforms help take some of that pressure off." Anecdotal Evidence Despite Smith’s beliefs and those of like-minded policymakers and school officials, research on the effects of school uniforms has been inconclusive or mixed. In a 1995 study seeking an answer to the question of whether dress codes and school uniforms can help curb school violence and other antisocial behaviors, Lillian O. Holloman, a professor in the department of clothing and textiles at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, concluded that it depends on whom you ask. Thats because much of the debate between advocates and opponents, she says, is based on anecdotal accounts rather than scientific data, which is difficult to extract. But a 1996 paper on school uniforms and school safety by M. Sue Stanley, a professor of education at California State University at Long Beach, says uniforms can "reduce the emphasis on fashion wars" and, in the long run, help reduce the financial strain of clothing costs on low-income families. Stanley says school uniforms can help encourage students to concentrate on learning, rather than on what to wear, and are "social equalizers" that help to promote peer acceptance and school pride. A 1997 study by David L. Brunsma, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Kerry A. Rockquemore, an assistant professor of sociology at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., however, says school uniforms "have no direct effect on substance use, behavioral problems or attendance." And, contrary to other studies and hundreds of anecdotal accounts, the authors find a negative effect of uniforms on academic achievement. "Instituting a school uniform policy can be viewed as analogous to cleaning and brightly painting a deteriorating building," they conclude. "On the one hand, it grabs our immediate attention. On the other hand, it is only a coat of paint." Perhaps the biggest opposition to school uniforms and dress codes has been based not on research but on legal concerns, with opponents arguing that requiring students to abide by a strict regimen violates their constitutional right to freedom of expression. In a landmark 1969 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District that students "do not shed their constitutional rights at the school house door." At issue were three Tinker children--John, Jane and Sarah--who had been sent home from school for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. The U.S. Supreme Court has never since directly addressed school uniforms. And while most lower court challenges to school uniform policies and dress codes citing that decision have been more trivial in nature--lawsuits have been brought over students rights to don sagging pants and offensive T-shirts, for example--court decisions generally have upheld the constitutionality of uniforms and dress codes, according to Richard Fossey, a professor of education at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and an expert on student dress codes. "I dont think weve heard the last word on [school uniforms], he says. "But my guess is that courts will be friendly to them. Judges are more aware of violence and other problems in schools and I think theyll be more receptive to school uniforms" as a means to improve schools. Still, most civil libertarians remain opposed to the idea. Loren Siegal, the director of the public education department of the American Civil Liberties Union, says uniforms distract parents and school officials from more pressing concerns facing schools like crumbling school buildings, overcrowded classrooms and dwindling school funding. "The debate over uniforms is a diversion," Siegal writes in an ACLU policy paper on the subject. "Attractive, modern and safe school buildings, small class sizes, schools with well-stocked libraries, new computers and an array of elective courses like music, drama and art--those are the kinds of changes that would produce long-lasting and dramatic improvements in student deportment and achievement." Alternative Actions The unresolved debate has prompted many school officials to study the issue carefully before jumping headlong into a school uniform policy. After much ado last spring, school officials in Fayette County, Ga., for example, decided to tighten their schools dress codes instead of adopting uniforms this school year. John D. DeCotis, superintendent of the 20,000-student system in suburban Atlanta, says parents were looking to school officials to restore order to schools after several local Columbine-inspired pranks last spring, but ultimately a task force concluded there were better ways for the district to address school safety. "Theres research on both sides, and I see advantages to both sides," DeCotis says. "But in the end, my responsibility is to do what the community wants," and the community did not want uniforms. The Marple Newtown School District in Newtown Square, Pa., opted for a dress code rather than school uniforms last year. Tube tops and halter tops, cut-off shorts, clothes promoting drugs or alcohol, short shorts and oversize trousers are all verboten now. "Going from a loose dress code to school uniforms seemed like a knee-jerk reaction," says Raj K. Chopra, superintendent of the 4,000-student suburban Philadelphia school system. "It seems like an easy solution, but our goal was to get students to dress for success. [We wanted] to create a sense of responsibility on behalf of students." But other school officials have been less tempered in their approach. The Polk County, Fla., school system outside Tampa may be the first district in the nation to adopt a school uniform policy from which students cannot opt out. The district instituted a school uniform policy for its elementary and middle schools in 1996, but so few students complied with the dress codes that the school board voted 4-3 last spring to remove the opt-out option, beginning this school year. Under the new policy, which a group of parents is challenging in court, the only students who can go without a uniform are those wearing other uniforms to school, such as Girl Scout outfits or students with "serious and sincere" religious beliefs that prevent them from abiding, district superintendent Glenn Reynolds says. All other students are required to wear navy, black or khaki-colored slacks, shorts or skirts, with navy- or white-collared shirts. Polk students who show up out of uniform--with no good First Amendment claim to back them--face immediate suspension. Before tightening its policy this year, Polk Countys dress code "was a real horror story in terms of enforcement," Reynolds says. But the new policy has "been a tremendous success. Parents and the community have been extremely supportive, and teachers and principals think its great." Of the 54,000 elementary and middle school students required to wear school uniforms in Polk schools, only a few have showed up in street clothes and been sent home. Reynolds says hes confident the school system will prevail in court. At least one court decision is on his side: An Arizona state judge in fall 1995 upheld a Phoenix middle schools uniform policy, which like Polk Countys, did not include an opt-out provision. The decision was one of the first legal tests of school dress codes. Sparing the Dramatics Few superintendents feel such Draconian measures are necessary, however. And in an effort to avoid ruffling too many feathers and avoid litigation, most school systems moving to uniforms will continue to allow students to opt out. Indeed, many administrators say parents and students are so satisfied with school uniforms that theres no need to force the issue. "So far the reaction’s been very positive," says Cleghorn of the Ridley, Pa., schools, which are requiring school uniforms in all seven elementary schools this year. "We’ve had very few complaints." Things are going so well in Ridley, in fact, that the district is planning to survey parents of middle and high school students on the prospect of adopting school uniforms in their childrens schools later this school year. If their support is as overwhelming as elementary school parents’--parents by a 7 to 1 margin favored the new policy--all the district’s students could be in uniform by next fall. Kerry White is a Washington, D.C.-based staff writer with Education Week. E-mail: kwhite@epe.org School Uniforms and Dress Codes - Do They Help? Back-to-School - What to Wear With all the publicity and focus on todays hottest styles, starlets and movies, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get students to adhere to an appropriate manner of dressing for school. With low-cut jeans and midriff-revealing tops for the girls, and ill-fitting, low slung jeans for the guys, is it any wonder that more and more schools are adopting dress codes and uniforms for students? That is not to mention the gang-style clothing so many teens like to wear as a means of identity. Here is a state-by-state look at policies currently being used in regard to dress codes and/or uniforms: Dress Codes and Uniforms With all the avenues of violence within our schools today, it would seem that having students all dressed in a very similar manner would be very beneficial when it comes to helping school officials identify intruders. Anyone who appears without appropriate dress would be immediately suspect and quickly approached by school personnel. Uniforms and/or dress codes would also prevent students from wearing colors and logos of gangs and prevent gang wars on school grounds. Uniforms and dress codes also support school authority and discipline of students and encourage more time and attention to be focused on learning and doing the required classroom work. Schools that choose the less expensive uniforms equalize students from every socio-economic background and also serve to increase school pride and a real sense of belonging. Although many students protest uniforms and dress codes, most schools do require it and they are finding that the benefits far outweigh the supposed harm done. Some say it takes away from the students rights to express themselves and to be an individual. However, once these same students arrive in the work world, they will find that many companies also have dress codes and/or uniforms. Police Officers, Firemen, Airline employees, Nurses, Doctors, Lawyers, and all branches of the military have some form of required dress. Most of our blue collar workers are also required to wear a uniform in the performing of their jobs. Does this take away from their right to be an individual? No, it makes them a part of a team that performs a certain job in a certain manner and provides for a more cohesive work environment. We soon learn, in life, that no matter how high up the ladder of success we may go, we will always be accountable to someone else. That does not stifle our individuality or cause us to be less than the person we were meant to be. It maintains stability in our world and helps us to become better and more productive people. Read More