School Uniforms and Their Effect on Education Essay

The debate about public school uniforms in America is an issue that has been around for a very long time. This issue was even mentioned by President Bill Clinton in a previous State of the Union address in 1996. In his 1996 State of the Union Address, President Clinton decreed,” I challenge all of our schools to teach character education, to teach good values and good citizenship and 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 school uniforms” (Clinton 1996). Public schools requiring mandatory uniforms for their students are a major topic as it deals with moral and economic concerns about how America’s public schools are operated.

The ringing of the alarm clock that is placed directly beside your bed wakes you. The high pitched alarm practically pierces your brain and makes you get out of your warm, cozy bed. Time to head to school. You have to wake up every day the moment that alarm goes off or else you’re toast. If you are late again, your school record is sure to take a hit. But wait… what are you going to wear? Is this a dilemma you face each morning? Do you have trouble wanting to get out of your bed, and then faced with the troubling question of what cool, clean, unwrinkled outfit you should wear that day? This is where school uniforms come in. Don’t you think that just slapping on a uniform would be much easier? This way you might not have to think so hard in

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

Uniforms have been around for centuries, from back in the day when women had to wear dresses or skirts and men had to wear pants. To now where students and employees have to wear certain pieces of clothing. People dress to express themselves, schools tell their students to be who they are and to be proud; however, when the student tries to do so they are sent home or held in the office which not only takes away their rights to express themselves, but takes them out of class. According to Friedrichs, “A shocking number of students are actually sent home or suspended for breaking dress code, which means even more time out of class.” A school's job is to prepare children for their futures, that can be quite hard when the student is not there to learn. Dress codes can be overwhelming to maintain. A student's wardrobe isn’t going to be full of polos and khakis because they most likely do not wear polos and khakis outside of school. Dress code should not be as strict, hoodies should be allowed, tank tops should be

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

The ringing of the alarm clock that is placed conveniently beside your bed wakes you. The sound startles your brain into getting out of your warm, cozy bed. It is time to go to school. You must wake up now in order to make it on time. If you are late again, your teacher will probably give you that nasty look of dismissal. What are you going to wear?

The Debate Over School Uniforms Context In some countries, e.g. Britain and many Caribbean states, it is common for school pupils to have to wear distinctive uniforms identifying them with a particular institution, especially to the end of compulsory education at 16. In others, e.g. France, the USA, it is rare for uniforms to be worn, although some private schools may retain them. In both situations the desirability of school uniforms remains controversial among students, parents and educationalists. As a result of this some schools have abandoned uniform at the same time as others have adopted it.

In the United States today, millions of students’ attend public schools and face some sort of violence that is associated with that school. It can be gang related or just simply bullying in the school. Because of these rising issues, parents are being forced to pull their children out of public school and home school them for their safety. Is this the best action for the children? Will they be missing out on many life skills that are learned while attending schools with peers their own age? How can the schools make our children feel safe so that they are able to attend the public schools and so that schools don’t lose out on valuable funding from the state? The idea that many believe will fix the problems at school is by implementing

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.

Evidence that supports the claim stated from the perspective of a teacher stated, “I don‘t see kids being judged now by their classmates for not having the ―right clothes or for wearing hand-me-downs” (Huss, 2007, pg. 34). Evidence from the claim one would presume such distractions are gangs or peer pressure with clothing competition. Uniforms help to make the learning environment safer.

School uniforms help maintain a sense of equality amongst the students. They help rid any socioeconomic barriers that may be causing certain students, or groups of students, to be alienated from the rest of the student body (Wilde). In other words, the financial status of a student’s parents no longer matters. Parents “are no longer pressured to buy the latest fashions, and they spend less on their children's clothing” (Isaacson). They no longer feel obligated to keep their children up to date with the latest fashion trends. Due to this, students are less prone to form cliques, which only lead to the alienation of students ("School Uniforms.") At the same time, students no longer feel inferior or superior to other students. No longer do students respect each other on the basis of how stylish they look. Their clothes do not gauge how popular they are in the school. Instead, uniforms force people to look at each

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

Uniforms may represent unity in a school, however we are told to be different and be ourselves. There are several supreme court cases that have proved that the First Amendment, freedom of expression, the Supreme Court stated in one case in particular “it can hardly be argued that either students and teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." With uniforms we are losing the main way we express ourselves.

A major reason that schools should have uniforms is because students will get along better. They wouldn’t compare each other based on whose wearing what. This is opposed to a school with no uniform some students will feel inferior to the one’s wearing brand name

The first major reason for not wearing school uniforms is, it forces a student to conceal his or her individuality. To many people, it appears that the school system is trying to strip away this individuality on purpose, but now is the time that the school should be embracing it and helping the student become the person they are meant to become. “According to opponents of uniforms, even preschoolers should have input into their wardrobe, and the need to encourage personality, confidence, and independence grows more important as the student becomes older” (Chen). Because of this lack of self-expression, students feel their first amendment is being violated and most people would agree, which causes the school to look bad. Another way of looking at it is they are forcing students to become on mold, or one certain way of being. However, the problem with making them one is, no matter how they look they will still have their own individual personality traits that will come out in the end. If forced to wear the uniforms, many students would express these traits by adding things to their uniform such as brightly colored gems for girls and different