The Importance Of School Uniforms At Ursula Franklin

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.

Not only do school uniforms aid the parents financial status, it allows them to limit what they have to buy in regards to clothes on the weekends. This also creates a sense of appreciation in students for their nicer clothing. There is no obligation to buying new

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.

On February 24 of 1996 when President Bill Clinton made a speech at the Jackie Robinson Academy in Long Beach California he stated “This remarkable progress that you have shown in your school as a result of your school uniform policy, making it safe, more disciplined and orderly, creates teachers who focus on teaching and students who focus on their job of learning” (Bily, 2014 p.5). The school dress code debate is not new and the belief that it makes schools safer and improves learning and test scores has been in the forefront as one of the many ways to improve and promote education in our country. The school classrooms in this country are nothing like they were in the past.

The uniform debate is one of the most hotly fought fights in the history of schools. Parents, teachers, administrators, and students seem to find it impossible to land on a middle ground on the topic. The topic of discussion is not going away, but rather growing. In 2000, twelve percent of public schools utilized uniforms. By 2013, that percentage was up to over twenty. Originally, uniforms were used as a means to set children of the upper class apart from those of the lower class (IES NCES). It was a quick way to show who has money and who was just scraping by. Recent statistics, however, indicate that they may have much more merit than merely a way to show prestige.

School uniforms were first implemented in the early 1900s and were used for the schooling of minorities, specifically Native American women (Dussel, 2006). In 1996, the US Department of Education reported that only three percent of public schools mandated uniforms. As a result of the belief that uniforms make schoolrooms more orderly and disciplined, President Clinton encouraged schools to adopt uniforms (Gentile et al.,2012). Shortly after, uniforms were widely adopted in urban communities to counterbalance students wearing gang colors or being identified as poor. Since urban communities have often been stigmatized with narratives that are colored by violence, many of the current research studies associated with uniforms focus on the relationship between uniforms and misbehaviors, attendance, and teacher retention.

School uniforms are a debatable topic that has been going on for years. Fashion has began to overrule schools rather than education. There are quite some people who believe school uniforms should not be enforced, however, many also believe that school uniforms are the best things for students. School uniforms are a great resource and will cause less chaos in schools because they will ensure equality, provide safety to the school, and are cost effective.

The history of school uniforms in the United States public schools begins with small underprivileged school of Cherry Hill Elementary in Maryland and the domino effect that happened soon after in the years after. The popularity of school uniforms can greatly be credited to the Long Beach, California study and President Bill Clinton’s speech on the topic. At first, school uniforms were only for the private or Catholic private schools however the school uniform trend spread to other public schools to adopt the “preppy look” and success. This has now set new standard for the United States school system. A brief history of school uniforms will give a significant insight on the growing development that is transforming American schools.

Uniforms in schools are a big debate around the world. Should we have uniforms in schools? The answer is yes because uniform help the schools. They bring to table a great deal of help because students are getting bullied, killed, and some may not have as much as other when shopping for clothes. Having uniforms bring safety to schools and what goes on after school.

Disagree- School dress codes protect people from revealing too much skin in a professional area. Without dress code, students would be rebellious and take advantage of what is appropriate to wear. Given the sexual assaults due to revealing too much skin, gives the school the security to prevent this from happening.

On a school day in 1994, a junior high student named Evan wore a sleeveless button down shirt for picture day. As Evan got to school that day he wasn't aloud to get his picture taken because of that shirt. The shirt was against the school district's dress code. Twenty years later school dress codes have changed a ton (Yingst).

Your appearance can also represent a part of your country, it can represent your countries history, its trials and tribulations, discipline, the wars it’s been through and the amount of men and women who lost their lives trying to defend it. The military and armed services have a particular way of displaying their respect for their country, through a uniform. Around the world many different countries wear uniforms that tell the story of their country and how it came to be without using words, the U.S. in particular we take the appearance aspect of the military quite serious, everyone must look the same and wear the uniform in a correct manner, and any other manner is seen as pure disrespect to the men and women who fought and died in the

A group of small boys and girls all warring the same colored uniforms assembled in front of a catholic school is what I imagine when thinking about school uniforms. This is probably what most people imagine. They have been attached to students of European and private schools. Such pictures of students dressing in school uniforms have led to stereotyping and a negative attitude towards schools enforcing a uniform policy. Displayed as robots without the ability to express them selves in a society that says you must express yourself and be an individual at all cost. The problem is that the cost to express yourself and be an individual is high in some cases, in Detroit, a 15-year-old boy was killed for his $86 basketball shoes (Tweeters 1997).

     Going to public schools all my life, I heard the gossip of "fashion" and "whose wearing what,"pretty much everyday; at least in the four years of high school where it seemed that looks mattered the most. As people grow up, the way they present themselves becomes more and more important. Leaving a good mark in high school means a lot to some people, and some are ready to do whatever it takes to make that mark, whether it be putting someone down for their clothing or being an individual and not caring what others think of you or what your wearing. Having friends from middle school that branched out and went the alternative route; private schools, one of the first things that came back

The issue of whether or not school uniforms are a necessity in today’s society has been a long standing debate. However, it did not come onto the national scene until 1996 when then President Bill Clinton spoke of the matter in his annual State of the Union Address. Citing the Long Beach city school district in California, Clinton spoke of the positive effects of uniform implementation, including: decreased drug cases, sex offenses, violent crimes and fights.