What Are The Pros And Cons Of School Uniforms?

Since 1987, the daily outfitting of public school students in the United States has been under debate from the conversations among parent and teachers to the halls of congress. Recently, cases involving drug and gang related clothing and sex-based discrimination policies made their way to the courts, causing several to wonder if this debate will ever be resolved. The debate may continue for many years, however when reviewing all the statistical data, it can be said that not only does having a school uniform policy increase student self-esteem and improve learning, but also decreases the influence of gangs within the community. The first ever recorded use of the school dress policies in education is in England in 1222. The students at Archbishop

Due to a declining student interest in academics and learning, the achievement scores of America’s students are the lowest in recorded history. School uniforms have cut down the distractions that keep students from learning in school (R. Ryan and T. Ryan 82). In a 2010 study, the University of Houston found that elementary school girls’ language arts test scores increased dramatically by about 3 percentile points after the uniforms were introduced to their school (ProCon). Students also view dress as a symbol of identification, self-expression, as well as a regulator of expected behavior. The authors of “The Students Dress Code Debate” state since adolescents communicate values and validate themselves through clothing, it is “reasonable to assume that values can be related to behavior.” An adolescent’s clothing choices are “a reflection of his or her abilities, personal qualities, or performance” (Swafford, Jolley, and Southward 10). Enforcing a dress code policy also reduces further distractions and makes the classroom a more serious