What Are School Uniform Policy?

Introduction

School uniform policies are usually associated with the notion of private schools, boarding schools and Catholic schools, but recently public school districts in the U.S.A. have begun to discuss the positive effects mandatory school uniform policy might hold. According to Nathan Joseph (1998), school uniform is a uniform worn by students in an educational institution. Clothing can only be considered a uniform when it fulfills the following criteria: (1) serves as a group emblem, (2) certifies an institution's legitimacy by revealing individual’s relative positions in the institutions hierarchy and (3) suppresses individuality (Nathan Joseph, 1998). Supporters of such policies have emphasized the benefits of student uniforms

schools who adopted uniform policies showed an increased focus on academics rather than clothing and fashion (Boutelle, 2008). Educators in schools without a uniform policy report that students are so fixated on what they and their classmates are wearing that they spend insufficient time focused on their schoolwork (Black,1998; Gullatt,1999; Harris, 1989a, 1989b). In addition, studies show that uniforms were found to increase student learning through enhanced learning environments, heightened school pride, increased student achievement, high levels of preparedness, conformity to organizational goals ,increased chance of staying in school, increased commitment to learning and increased use of the school setting to the student’s advantage (Murray, 1997). An evidence for that was found in Martin Luther King Middle School in Kansas City, Missouri. The school reputation was among the lowest in the city, but after four years of required uniforms the school showed a dramatic turnaround in performance and scores (Fadden, 1996). Furthermore, from the teacher's point of view, on October 15th, 1998, USA Today reported that teachers felt that uniforms had a major contribution to higher academic achievements, since students were not distracted by the clothes of their classmates. In summary, school uniform can have a positive effect on students’ academic achievements through enhancing their focus on academics rather than clothing and