What if you did not have to worry about what you wear every day? School uniforms have been under discussion and have become an argumentative topic in all schools. Research has shown varied results in the performance of students who wear and do not wear uniforms. School uniforms should be required in all schools because they improve behavior and they save time as well as money.
“A uniform policy is different from a dress code. A dress code outlines the dos and don’ts of daily dress. A uniform policy dictates that students wear the same style and color shirts and pants or skirts” (Esack). The trend of uniforms is more than just a few schools here and there. Uniform policies are not just restricted to certain areas; it has become a national occurrence. Approximately one-fifth of schools have something resembling a uniform (Prill, Cride, Purdy, and Troianello). “Uniform policies are generally more likely to be found in schools with large numbers of low-income and/or minority students” (Proquest Staff).
“Although 90 percent of the students surveyed indicated they did not like wearing uniforms, various benefits to wearing uniforms were reported, including decreases in discipline, gang involvement and bullying, and increases in safety, ease of going to school, confidence and self-esteem.” During the first year that school uniforms were put into action, discipline referrals declined by approximately ten percent at Sparks Middle School. Issues such as gang affiliation, fights, and vandalism also dwindled. At Sparks Middle School it has been reported that gang involvement has declined by forty-one percent since requiring uniforms for all the students. Police reports also went down sixty-three percent since the school uniform policy was p...
... middle of paper ...
... precise style and color by administrators. Uniforms can come in an assortment; students can create multiple outfits out of the required colors (Edelhart). Students can still express themselves through clubs, sports, and how they arrange their uniform.
Due to improved behavior and saved time and money school uniforms should be mandated nationwide. School uniforms are important because it practices equality as well as instills discipline. Even though there is not any completely accurate data to support the benefits of a uniform policy. Numerous educators and students still endorse the use of uniform policies, for they believe that schools can truly benefit from them (Prill, Cride, Purdy, and Troianello). School uniforms have become a hot topic and are spreading throughout the nation, so people should keep an eye out; they never know if their school district is next.
Ever wonder what it would look like to have all students wearing the same white polo shirt, black pants, and a district sweater walking in the hallway? Nowadays, public school and many districts are discussing the possibilities of enforcing the uniform policy. In most places, many private schools already require students to have their mandatory uniforms; however, there are only a few public schools adopting this mandatory school-uniform polices as one of their enrollment requirements. The reason why not all public schools participated was because people believe that they are violating the freedom of choice when enforcing this mandatory uniform policy; yet problems such as bullying and segregation, emerged in these schools. Some people still think uniforms have no benefits at all. However, all public school students should be required to wear uniforms because it would improve the academic performance, reduce the violent behaviors based on appearance judgment, and provide less stress for both parents and students.
With many of the schools that do not use school uniforms, they are having trouble with their students, and the school environment is collapsing. Two very educated people that work on keeping schools safe; Linda Lumsden and Gabriel Miller’s, in their article “School Uniforms and Dress Codes”, they have informed people the biggest reasons school crime exists. Some kids come in dressed promoting drugs and alcohol, others come in dressed in “swag in gang related clothes”, and other students come to school with sexually provocative clothing (Lumsden, Miller). This is getting out of hand because so many students are wearing cloths, which is provocative, and no one is taking serious control to stop them from being a distraction to other students. Also one of the biggest issues with schools these days, are the school shootings. Sherry Bowen, a professional in the education system has informed people about how easy it is to sneak in weapons to school. By using schools uniforms it will be hard to sneak in a gun, or other harmful weapon (Bowen). With schoo...
School uniforms can be a sensitive subject. Most may not like the idea of having to wear a uniform each day. Clothing can be a minor issue when education comes to play. Wearing uniforms creates a better educational environment. Therefore, uniforms should be mandatory upon students from elementary to high school. There are many issues around school uniforms . Many people believe that wearing a uniform increases students behavior and concentration. While on the other hand, there are a great number of people that find uniforms to be pointless and to prevent originality. However, wearing a uniform can solve many issues. School uniforms should be required in public schools because their use would lead to higher education. Meaning no distraction,
“The Manual on School Uniforms”, printed and issued by the United States Department of Education, noted that Long Beach, California, reported a decrease in crime, fights, sex offenses, weapons offenses, and vandalism after they adopted their uniform policy (4). Contrary to government findings, The National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 discovered that school uniforms have had no real effects on behavior, drug abuse or attendance; furthermore they also came to find that uniforms actually have negative effects on the academic achievement of the students (Brunsma and Rockquemore 54). If school A is emphasizing that school uniforms are conducive to the learning environment, yet school B down the road has higher testing scores but no uniform policy, then their stand is no longer valid. This proves that uniforms have no effect on the learning process.
As a result, many local communities are deciding to adopt school uniform policies as part of an overall program to improve school safety and discipline. California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia have enacted school uniform regulations. Many large public school systems including Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Miami, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle and St. Louis have schools with either voluntary or mandatory uniform policies, mostly in elementary and middle schools. In addition, many private schools have required uniforms for a number of years. Still other schools have implemented dress codes to encourage a safe environment by prohibiting clothes with certain language or gang colors.
There is something comforting about school children and teenagers dressed in pleats and plaid. Maybe it is a reminder of past times, or conjures up thoughts of order and safety. Whatever the reason, school uniforms are getting a lot of ?wear? these days, yet remain an unproven deterrent to school violence. No long-term, formal studies have been done with regards to the effectiveness of school uniforms, but many schools have kept their own informal statistics, such as the Long Beach School District. These statistics offered by Long Beach are often most cited as a proven deterrent to school violence, after adopting a mandatory uniform policy in 1994. According to Richard Van Der Laan, school crime has dropped over seventy-five percent, while attendance has reached an all-time high. One question we must ask ourselves is this, ?Is it the uniforms, or the induction of them that is solving the problem?? Maybe it is the school and parents showing some ?back-bone? which is affecting the students, not the clothing.
Uniforms encourage modesty and also reduces the need for discipline from teachers because a student is not following dress code. When uniforms are in place, children come to class looking professional, which can promote a better learning environment. The last, and possibly the most important reason why I believe school uniforms are necessary is for social equality. School uniforms reduce the stress children feel when trying to fit in with their peers. Without them, some children may be alienated because their economic background reflects the clothes they wear.
At the beginning of the 20th century almost no parent or faculty had any concerns with how students dressed to attend school. Nowadays, though, this is a giant concern among students, parents, and school board officials. Many arguments have been made over the matter saying uniforms should be required and enforced in schools. But, uniforms should not be required as they ultimately eliminate freedom of expression, promote conformity over individuality, may have a detrimental effect on students self image, emphasize the socioeconomic divisions they are supposed to eliminate, and lastly, school uniforms in public schools undermine the promise of a free education by adding an extra expense for families.
School uniforms are a boiling conversation point these days. There are so many well-built points of view about what route parents, students, and superintendents wish to go in. It has been disputed that school uniforms have the potential to make a school safer, that uniforms reduce harassment or self-esteem issues, and that uniforms return the focus to the students' learning. I disagree. I, in fact think that school uniforms do not help make our schools a more secure place, I think that they do not revisit the center of attention to student's education - they just shifted where the attention was previous, and that they won’t help cut down on harassment or self- esteem issues in school.
Though some believe that school uniforms take away student individuality. For others, they can see that through the implementation of school uniforms students will not only gain a sense of confidence, they will also be more likely to carry that professionalism into their future careers. I believe that school boards across America should require students to wear school uniforms. For years, school board officials have struggled with the idea of whether they should implement a school uniform or just enforce a strict dress code. Many high schools, both public and private, have adopted the school uniform concept.
Overall it was reported that crime was down by 36% and students’ suspensions by 32% throughout the district. It has again been proven that the implication of uniforms was doing more good than harm. School uniforms not only increased attendance but it also cut down on the distractions at schools, increased students self-confidence, produces an esprit de corps among students, and removed causes of school crime, violence and gang
First, one of the chief benefits of school uniforms is their ability to make schools safer. Studies have shown that they help to reduce gang influences. (Isaacson, 1998)
A uniform is a standard set of clothes that is worn by a group of people. These people may be members of an organization or a group of people having the same ideas. There are thousands of kinds of uniforms in the world worn by people, such as police officers, firefighters, doctors, lawyers, security guards, and even fast-food restaurant workers. School uniforms are a controversial issue in schools today. Many schools have already adopted a policy mandating school uniforms, while many more are still considering the change. School uniforms create an atmosphere of equality in which the students are able to achieve to their best, while attaining the most out of their education. School uniforms should be mandatory to unite the school community as one, to instil discipline among the student body, and to eliminate distractions that will help students focus more, which in turn will help our society.
Should school uniforms be required? Some say that uniforms help students focus on academics instead of fashion. Others believe that students should have the freedom to choose what they wear to school in order to express their differences and their uniqueness. After considering both sides of the issue, I strongly believe that uniforms should be introduced in primary public and private schools. Wearing school uniforms does not promote unfair comparisons between student’s incomes in terms of clothing; they aid students in developing their inner qualities instead of focusing on the outer aspects of themselves in the crucial earlier years of their lives, and provides a platform for practicing discipline.
I strongly agree that school uniforms are necessary because it creates and identity, avoid the potential of bullies and insults, saving time and money and helps students to be prepared for adulthood and in working