In the United States bullying is becoming a major conflict. Students are being bullied every day based on appearance. According to the Wall Street Journal, over 40% of students in the United States are currently being bullied based on what they wear to school. Students should wear school uniforms to school because it allows them to focus on studies which reduces peer pressure, they allow students to have an image of success because of a sudden decrease in violence, and individuality can be shown other ways.
First of all, school uniforms allow students to concentrate on school instead of worrying about what their peers think of them. In today’s society teenagers are more concerned about their appearance than anything else. With uniforms they would be less focused on how they looked and would focus more on education. At the University of Houston, after uniforms were put in place, girls language arts test scores increased by 3-percentile points. Arminta Jacobson, Founder and Director of the Center for Parent Education at the University of North Texas, stated that uniforms put "All kids on the same playing field in terms of their appearance.” When all
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Long Beach Unified School District in California was one of the first schools to put uniforms into effect. As a result of uniforms,the number of suspensions, incidents of violence and vandalism, weapons and fights had dropped dramatically. Whenever students are jealous over each others outfits, they often turn to violence. With a school uniform, jealousy wouldn’t be a problem. So, the number of fights would increasingly drop. On top of violence, theft is a problem. Cherry Hill Elementary School was a school that encountered a sudden increase with theft. Students would walk into school with items but wouldn’t walk out with them. Ever since the uniforms were put into effect, there was a sudden decrease in
Did you know that Americans spend around one billion dollars per year on school uniforms? At the beginning of every school year, families shop for weeks and weeks to find specific clothes that fit into a school’s strict uniform dress code. School uniforms should not be required in schools because they take away from the student’s freedom of expression, do not lower disciplinary problems, and do not prevent bullying based on economic status. Dress codes often have more of a negative impact than a positive impact when it comes to students being able to learn. Many people say that being in free dress is a distraction, when in reality, uniforms are more of a distraction.
Mark Twain once said, “Clothes make the man”. This quote applies to the issue on school uniforms. Are they making the students of America’s public schools more responsible and orderly? The statistics seem to say yes. There is no doubt that schools across the nation are seeing the improvements are adopting the policy themselves. The benefits of school uniforms include decreasing violence, helping students reduce peer pressure, greater concentration on schoolwork, and school officials are able to recognize intruders. What a student wears may sound trivial however it is worth the investigation because it is changing the American public education system.
What Mark Mathabane talks about in his article “Appearances Are Destructive” is how students should be required to wear uniforms in public schools because uniforms encourage students to focus on education. Mathabane draws from his experience from when his sisters from South Africa went to school in the United States. One of the points he makes is how the U.S. is the only country who allow an open dress code in schools. He also talks about how students are more concerned with how they look rather than their education. Mathabane also states how “in schools Nike, Calvin Klein, Adidas, Reebok and Gucci are more familiar names to students than Zora Neale Hurston, Shakespeare, and Faulkner”. Furthermore, he states that if students do not dress in designer clothes they may be ridiculed by others. The author's final opinion is that “It's time Americans realized that the benefits of safe and effective schools far outweigh any perceived curtailment of freedom of expression brought on by dress codes.”
Contrary to popular belief, school uniforms play a larger role in education than one might think. Studies have shown school uniforms to promote more focus and increase drive pertaining to students’ school work. Just like a businessman puts a suit on when attending an important meeting, some students become more serious about their projects and assignments at school when putting their uniforms on. While individuality is an important thing, many people are constantly ridiculed not because of personality-based traits, but because of the pattern on their t-shirt, the hat that they mustered up the courage to wear, or the brand on their jeans. Uniforms eliminate this in-school judgment that occurs in many around the country. If public schools implemented mandatory school uniforms, might there be more unity among the student body? Would the quality of education be more of a priority in student’s lives?
There you are standing in your school uniform, waiting for your bus. You feel anxious because the uniform doesn’t fit like it’s supposed to. The shirt (even when it’s tucked in,) is way too loose on you making it seem like you were skinny as a tree but, you weren’t. The only thing that was tight were your pants/skirt, it was so tight that you could barely move at all. Hasn’t everyone felt this way numerous amounts of time when wearing school uniforms? The fabric sometimes irritating your skin taking your attention off of school work. Sometimes, when you wear school uniforms don’t you feel nervous that someone is going to say something mean about your uniform? Most, people are bullied because of school uniforms and how they fit on them. Schools shouldn’t have school uniforms because they make you feel self-conscious and it increases the causes of bullying.
Also, uniforms prevent bullying with anti-bullying campaign to give student prevention skill training, classroom anti-bullying activities. Reward students that stop bullying as they see it happens. Promoting anti-bullying behavior by hanging poster around the school campus. “School uniforms are tangible; they are seen as a concrete and visible means of restoring order to the classroom” (Huss, 2007). Bullied victims are afraid to attend school. Afraid of being threatened, attacked, and even murder over materialistic items they may have or may not have.
Bullying can happen when a student might not be able to afford the name brand clothes, or they just want to wear different clothing. This sets them apart from other students, making them easier targets for bullies. With dress codes and uniforms, “It’s harder to discern the differences in socio-economic background.” (Luscombe). However, “People who can’t afford new uniforms can purchase pre-loathed ones, with the money going to fund school programs.” (Luscombe).
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.
Would anybody want their freedom taken from them? Nobody would willingly give their freedom up. What’s the next thing thats going to happen, will schools having edible food. Hard to see, right? So are uniforms. Schools should not have uniforms for these three reasons: It takes the students freedom of expression away, it’s a bandaid reason to cover up violence, and some parents might not be able to afford the uniforms.
In society today, school-age children are under tremendous pressure to fit in with their peers and still perform well academically. I believe that school uniforms in pre-K through high school levels is an excellent way to help children succeed not only in school, but to prepare them for college and the “real world.” Three reasons why I believe school uniforms should be used in all schools is first, they are economic, next, they reduce distractions and finally, they help with social equality.
(“Quotes about Uniform Policy” 1). Theodore R. Mitchell, UCLA School of Education says, "I think its great news for all of us who have advocated school uniforms as a way of building community.” A pressing issue, bullying has become a big problem in many school, and to eliminate this problem, school policies should require students to wear uniforms. Many people believe that school uniforms build the community into a safer, more positive environment. School uniforms improve school academics, prevent gang violence, and assist families, who can not afford expensive clothing.
School uniforms in public schools are becoming increasingly popular across the nation. The public school system would benefit greatly if this policy were to be adopted. Opposition is always a factor when trying to make changes. Taking all things into consideration, the positive effects would be far greater than the negative effects. School uniforms should be required in public schools because their use would lead to higher education, less violence, and lower cost to parents.
the clothe that they wear, their appearance, and their manifestation in front of people, and
Bill Clinton once said, “People will learn to evaluate themselves by what they are on the inside to evaluate themselves by what they are on the inside, instead of what they’re wearing on the outside, then our public schools should be able to require students to wear school uniforms.” Public schools across America are searching to improve safety, school belonging and also help parents save money & students save time getting ready. One way to improve these issues would be to implement a uniform policy. The adoption of school uniforms policies will reach what public schools across America are searching for.
School uniform should be mandatory. The number of interruptions and distractions in school have concerned many parents and guardians about the problem. Every 3 years, a variety of people in the United States fall victim to crimes at school (The Challenge of School Violence). This kind of crime includes bullying outside and inside school.