Persuasive Essay Against School Uniforms

Lack of parents support is the most significant reason for schools failing to implement any sort of school uniform code. Parents, teachers, and students should support the need for school uniforms in public schools so that they may be able to achieve higher educational goals. This paper will discuss many of the pros to the debate on uniforms in public schools as well as touch on some of the cons on the subject. After weighing the two sides, it will demonstrate how the pros are a more sensible alternative and why schools should require mandatory uniforms for their students.

As a society we value the individual choices that we are able to decide upon in our everyday life. School uniforms have a negative effect on students, due to the lack of individuality and self-image that they are able to express. Therefore passing student policies requiring school uniforms is misleading as it creates more issues than it solves. Students should feel they are different from everyone else and have to freedom to act the way they want and wear what they want. Enforcing school uniforms does not affect academic situations in any way for uniforms to be mandatory. Schools need to re-think their decision on school uniform policies for the mental and physical well-being of their students.

The idea of uniforms being required for public school students has been a widely controversial topic in the recent past. In the 2003-2004 school year, only one in eight public schools required students to wear uniforms (ProConorg Headlines). In the 2013-2014 school year, one in five public schools required students to wear uniforms (ProConorg Headlines). This essay will discuss the reasons that uniforms restrict the individuality of students, burdens families that cannot afford two sets of clothes for each of their children (Farrell), and serve little to none purpose in benefitting the education of students. Uniforms are meant for the workforce, not school children.

“If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms” This statement from Bill Clinton was what started a movement toward using uniforms in-state school in the United States in 1996. Since then school uniforms have become a common thing in the school system in the United States. There is no doubt that school uniforms can lead to loss of students’ rights to express themselves and that school uniforms will not generally stop bullying even though they might increase student’s safety.

In 1994, the school district of Long Beach California was one of the first to enforce school uniforms in the grades Kindergarten through 8th, and crime rates in the district dropped 22% soon after. School attendance also improved after the uniforms were introduced. Although this one statistic shows there are positive outcomes from school uniforms, there is one question that remains: Do school uniforms help or harm the students and environment at school? The controversy among this topic is that some people believe that uniforms improve the way kids act in class, however, others believe that school uniforms make their behavior worse. Another thing that certain people don’t like about uniforms is that they are very costly. A woman in Indianapolis was interviewed and said that she has five kids that all need uniforms, and with all the costs combined she had to pay almost $700. She found it was an outrage because she has a son who was a senior at the time and she had to pay for his uniforms as well. Even though she believed that uniforms are not an advantage, other people have the belief that uniforms have a positive outcome. In fact, some people think that the students’ behavior becomes subsequently better in the classroom setting; this is proven in the Long Beach study. There is also proof that school uniforms save people lots of money. This is because parents in one

School uniforms and dress codes are becoming a popular trend among schools. Most Students and some parents don’t agree with the enforcement with school uniforms, saying that uniforms are taking away self-expression in schools. But, school uniforms are not a negative thing to have. Yes, uniforms and some very strict dress codes limit what the students have to choose to wear to school every day, but it doesn’t limit them from learning which is the main reason they are in school. Some students treat school as a fashion show, so eliminating the size of wardrobe shifts the attention toward their school work. Although requiring students to wear school uniforms may violate their self-expression in some ways, a uniform is supposed to be looked

Secondly the disagreement most of the parents have about the school uniforms policy. Is just the beginning of the list of cons for this policy and yes, the cost for these such uniforms year by year go up like anything else! But I would imagine since they are being used for school “governmental” shouldn’t they be provided by the schools. At least a few to start of the year, since school uniforms are not tax-deductible per IRS. It does tend to add up if you have more than one child. So, it does have it pros and cons, but at the end are they worth it? Here is are a couple of statements from parents on their opinion on this issue. Both of the following statements talk about the same issue but with different outcomes. “School uniforms create a level playing field among students, reducing peer pressure and bullying”, “When all students are dressed alike, competition between students over clothing choices and the teasing of those who are dressed in less expensive or less fashionable outfits can

Many school administrators and parents believe that uniforms create a better learning environment at school. First and foremost, many administrators claim that students are not as distracted by how they look, and therefore, spend more time learning at school. This allows students to focus more upon their schoolwork, rather than social appearances.” (PAR 3) A parent want to feel at ease knowing that their children is in a safe and secure learning environment when their children are at school. However, being able to provide a safe learning environment will not have the same effect on all students. Some students will still act as if the school uniform never

If kids were required to wear uniforms, it would take away their individualism. Today, clothing is a big deal in a teen's life; it makes a statement about a person’s personality. People want to develop their own style to try to fit in with others or mainly try to stand out. By taking away the ability to wear different clothes and making students wear uniforms, takes away an individual’s personality. To take away a students’ right to choose what to wear really affects how one acts versus how they would act if they wore uniforms. Not only do uniforms affect students, it also puts some responsibilities on parents.

Most students attending school are not all about having to wear uniforms. Uniforms are everywhere such as the army, high school, and restaurants. Blocking the fun out of school by wearing whatever the students are wanting is not a good idea. Clothing is the best way for students to show and express themselves by what they wear. Wearing a specific type of clothing can really be a struggle for students who are starting to grow up and finding out what they are and their personality. It can be argued that uniforms downside in three major reasons such as the cost of uniforms, judgment, and school security.

It is a belief that school uniforms teach students to respect their learning environment and behave themselves, and, therefore improving discipline. However, that assumption isn’t entirely correct. Researchers have actually found that school uniforms don’t make students better behaved. According to a study of more than 4,500 students, those who wore a school uniform did not have fewer behavior problems or better attendance. Forcing students to wear uniforms lead to more problems and misbehavior instead of encouraging discipline. Students could get into trouble if they did not wear their uniforms correctly. Many kids in today’s society cannot stand the thought of someone telling them what to do, especially what to wear. Instead of encouraging respect, uniforms may cause rebellions. For example, in 2009, a group of students at John A. Ferguson Senior High School rebelled against their school uniforms. Instead of following their school uniform requirements, the students wore what they thought would be a better school uniform to school. Not only uniforms don’t earn schools the respect from its students, but it may also lead to more problems.

II. Body paragraph #1 – School uniforms can save parents hundreds of dollars a year due to not allowing children to wear the latest fashion trends.

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

School Uniforms are being pushed more and more in schools, but what is commonly thought of when the words “school uniform” is said? For most people the picture of children in the same colored uniforms gathered in front of a Catholic Church or a private school is displayed in their mind. This picture is one of the many problems with school uniforms. Instead of being seen as an individual, students are seen as just another kid in a uniform attending a fancy private school. The students cannot develop the self-expression that is crucial to their development at this age. Uniforms are thought to create a more protected campus and learning environment, however, if someone wants to bully someone else, clothes are not going to stop them. The cost, which is usually seen as a pro, can actually be more than people anticipate. As one can see, in the best interest of any student, school uniforms should not be made part of the dress code.

If you were a student and were told by your principal, “Starting this semester, we will begin to require the wearing school uniforms.”, how would you feel? Happy or sad? Are you knowledgeable about this certain topic or in other words, have gone out and conducted research on what accomplishments uniforms have made or have you only taken what you have seen or heard from others and based your opinion off of that?I can tell you that personally, that was what I have done for the longest time until I actually went out and truly understood the reasoning behind them. Yes, I was of those students where I disliked uniforms because I was unsure of what their purpose was but that was when I took into consideration how many schools have uniforms and why that number was as large as it was. What I found was that school uniforms not only gave schools a nicer and cleaner look but they had a great effect on how students acted. Many people, typically students, tended to have mixed feelings when they heard the terms “School” and “Uniform” in the same sentence. This was because there is a lacking of full understanding of what exactly school uniforms are and what they are put in to accomplish. With that being said, let’s take a deeper look at what uniforms are and why dress codes weren’t enough to create the best environment for schools.