School Uniforms: Should They Be Required in Public Schools? Essay

As the years pass, many students have been bullied, a bully, or they just hate school and this was affecting their lives academically. School boards tried to find a way to improve the way students feel about themselves and about school, and they came up with the idea of school uniforms. School uniforms have been associated with just the Catholic school, but are now showing up in public schools across the country. According to the National Center for Education Statistics: Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2011, twenty-one states require students to wear uniforms in the public school system (Pros and Cons of School Uniforms Statistics). This has seemed to work tremendously in the school system. In education, school uniforms assist with student success, academically, socially, and personally.

School uniforms are beneficial to students at all grade levels and can be a contributing factor in improving test scores, attendance and the graduation rate, while decreasing school violence and behavior issues. Research has proven significant connections between school uniforms and the success of public schools. In 1996 approximately three percent of all schools in the United States had a school uniform policy (Gentile & Imberman, 2009) . In 2015 23% of schools reported a uniform policy (Statistic Brain Research Institute , 2015). Inner city schools are more likely than suburban, town, and rural areas to have a school uniform policy, because urban schools often struggle with violence, failing school districts, and attendance policies (U.S Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences) and uniform policies have been proven to benefit such schools.

Another thing that schools have seen changes in is violence in school such as: Long Beach, California, drew national attention as the first public-school district to adopt mandatory school uniforms. After just one year, dramatic decreases in violence and discipline problems, as well as higher test scores, were reported (Wilkins). Students are less prone to bullying and violence and also perform better at school when they are not judged by what they are wearing and making a better school environment. Theft is a big problem in many schools around America, introducing school uniforms would help decrease theft from students by other students. For example, if someone wore a nice, expensive jacket to school and it got stolen from them by another student then this would be an issue, having school uniforms would help to demolish theft from school.

In addition to the apparent bullying over style trends and choices, another issue that could be eliminated through the incorporation of uniforms is the lessening of disciplinary action directed towards students for dress code violations. Almost daily, students are sent to the office for dress code checks which are most often handled by the vice principal or principal. Students are commonly sent for checks based on the following items that are considered questionable: midriff revealing tops, ripped and low-rise jeans, short skirts and shorts, exposed shoulders and necklines and spandex for the girls. Additionally, there are ill-fitting jeans and inappropriate slogans on t-shirts and sweatshirts for the boys to contend with. A uniform policy would eliminate the need for dress code checks, which would enable the vice principal and principal to concentrate on more important issues within the high school. Furthermore, uniforms would ensure that students are buying their clothing from a uniform supply

One of the greatest controversies that is spreading throughout high schools in the United States is parents and their children against the enforcement of their school’s uniform policy. More schools have been adopting uniform policies within the past decade. Rules contained in the policy that are implemented range from wearing certain types of tops (shirts) in specified colors to students being required to tuck in their shirts. In the past, uniforms were exclusively for students who attended private schools because they were “well-off”, but now uniforms are being seen more frequently in public schools on students of all economic levels. Having gone through a school system that considered adopting a uniform policy, I would have to press

Long Beach, a suburb of Los Angeles, intended to reduce crime through their uniform policy and at the conclusion of policies the first year they reported fighting incidents at the schools fell 51 percent, drug use declined by 69 percent, and crimes involving weapons dropped 52 percent (Time, 1995). Today, the Long Beach Unified School District has mandatory school uniform polices in place at seventy-seven schools serving roughly 70,000 students in grades K-12 (LB Schools, n.d.). The uniforms have also been attributed to better grades and higher achievement. Chris Eftychiou, spokesman for the Long Beach Unified School District, says that since uniforms were adopted 20 years ago, the district has also seen gains in other areas including student achievement, state test scores, and higher attendance (Nittle, 2014). Following Long Beach’s success with unifroms, other urban school districts have been making the transition to uniforms, which now make up approximately one fifth of all student dress attire nationwide (NCES, 2014). While the focus for school uniforms has been on reducing crime in urban areas, the data from urban districts highlight other unexpected but positive benefits that are equally applicable to suburban

The argument whether uniforms should be implemented in school has been debated over the last few decades. By implementing a uniform policy within schools would help reduce the rise of violent crimes. In today’s high schools, too many innocent youths become fatalities due to gang warfare that has spread into the school system. Many parents feel that if a uniform policy was implemented , the spread of gang warfare and the idea that children have to have name brand clothing would decrease drastically. However others are worried that this policy would infringe on students First Amendment Rights with expressing themselves. Many parents are worried that the uniforms will cost too much and they will only

In the Washington Post newspaper article stated the claim of how uniform policy swept U.S. in the school year of 2011-2012 to improve academics for the lacking students. Chandler says that according to federal data 20 percent of school districts made it necessary for students to wear uniforms. The uniform take-over caught the attention of researcher and educators of the benefits surrounding uniforms between high and low poverty school.

School uniforms lower gang violence since students can’t group up and dress in some particular ways, and visitors can be distinguished from other students. They also help reduce bullying in public high schools. According to Kathleen C. and Carl A. Cohn’s “School Improvement Initiatives in Long Beach, California: The Quest for Higher Student Achievement, Behavior, and Dress Standards” in Education magazine, which was published on December 22, 1998, Long

Attendance is the highest it's been since 1980. Can the uniform policy take the credit? "Very definitely," Van Der Laan says." Uniform set a message, ' You are in the business of learning." (Speer 1)"In the first year following implementation, overall school crime decreased by 36%; sex offenses, by 74%; physical flight to point students, by 51%; weapons offenses, by 50%; assault and battery offenses, by 34%; school suspensions, by 32%; and vandalism, by 18%." (King 2) "Moreover, greater than 80%of Long Beach Press-Telegram readers support school uniforms." (King 2) According to the statistics, the majority of the population supports the implementation.

High Schools who have implement school uniforms have provided results that they bring unity and equality within a school. This has gained attention of many district schools who have been looking for a solution with these types of results. A prime showcase for this is scholar Attillah Brookshire (2016) who researched why advocates have shown support for uniforms. The advocates concluded how that when uniforms were implanted in their school district they became a social and economic equalizer. They also reduce competition of expensive clothing so parents don 't have to buy the expensive top brands, allowing children to learn, clothing should not be what defines a person. Brookshire 's studies showed how these statements are not just theories but actual facts. The school that acquired uniforms was up 4.70 in a more supported climate compared to the 4.45 in a non-uniform school. Student fights also were lower in the school that

In 1995 LBUSD schools had the option to decide on whether they wanted school uniform. Statistically schools with uniform in LBUSD dropped school fighting by 38%. This is good because high schools with very ethnically diverse areas such as

In this paper you will find four main reasons why all public schools should adopt a school uniform policy, and there is a paragraph with a counter argument with school uniforms. There is a discussion on how the crime rate decreases amongst students, how uniforms save the families money, how gang related activities have decreased, and how there is less stress between students and parents. By the time you finish reading this paper, you too should agree that all public schools should adopt a school uniform policy.

The main reason for implanting a school uniform policy would be that it increases the safety for the children at school. Gang violence in schools is at an all time high. In 1989, a high school student from Baltimore was shot and wounded in a fight over a pair of sunglasses that cost $95.00. Since this incident educators started restricting what students could wear. (Brunsma, 2006) By doing this, the violence in the school has decreased. According to Holly Charlonne with Life Script, she states that gangs have a need to wear a certain color to distinguish them from other neighborhood gangs. If our children are required to wear a uniform, this will lessen the chance of any possibility of violence out break at school associated with gangs. (Charlonne, 2007) Since everyone will have on the same colors, the uniforms may be viewed as a way to bring the children closer together by having the same effect as would sport uniforms. The decrease

At first glance, the only winners in the topic of school uniform policy are the uniform companies and the retail establishments that sell them. The idea of mandatory uniform requirements is repugnant and unpalatable to many Americans. It stifles students’ freedom and forces conformity on our most impressionable citizens, children. However, violence in our schools was the impetus for uniform policy adoption. It gained momentum following a sharp spike in the number of violent incidents in schools over designer sunglasses, sneakers and jackets in the latter half of the 1980’s. Because of public outcry and response at the