The Pros And Cons Of Public School Uniforms

In 1987, a public school in Baltimore, Maryland became the first to instill a school uniform policy in the United States. This idea of all students dressing alike spread throughout the country, and by 1994 a school district in Long Beach, CA became the first to require a whole school district to wear school uniforms (Background of the Issue - School Uniforms - ProCon.org). Today, an average of 23% of public and private schools enforce a school uniform system (School Uniform Statistics). But this change in dress code policy did not come about without controversy. Although some will argue uniforms promote safety, focus, and an even playing field in schools, school uniform policies oppress student’s freedom of expression, advocate for conformity, and cause more problems than they fix.

One of the biggest controversies in the United States is whether or not public school students

The argument I am looking to convey to the audience is that requiring high school students to wear uniforms should be overturned allowing students to wear what they want. The reasoning behind this argument is lack of proof that it lessens the chances of getting bullied, strips young adolescents of their individuality, and creates a competitive market for parents to have to in essence spend more money than save. There was the desired goal of creating the school uniform policy to put an end to bullying. However, that vision has yet to come to fruition with the reality being the policy is adding more negatives than visible positives. These aspects highlight why grade schools K-12 should cease with the requirement for students to have to wear uniforms.

New Orleans has the highest amount of schools with a school uniform policy in the US. Some schools nowadays have their kids wear school uniforms, there are some positive to this. As most kids are bullied, having them in a uniform can help them not get bullied. Even though there can be positives, there are more negatives to having kids wear school uniforms. Schools shouldn’t require their students to wear a school uniform because kids have individual tastes and different body types, it takes away their freedom to express themselves, and uniforms can be costly.

Uniforms have been used for centuries for things like sports, military affairs, and to help identify someone that is affiliated with a group or an organization. One place they should not be used is in public schools. In this day in age uniforms are still being argued and could still appear is school around the country causing problems. When I was in middle school I had uniforms for about four years and it made me hate school even more. None of the benefits that administration said we would get from uniforms ever materialized. They said it would put an end to bullying and we would still have some kind of freedom when it came to picking accessories. The uniforms were costly for my parents and as a student it made it hard for me to express myself. With that being said middle school students should not be required to wear 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.

Uniforms have swept through the world, taking over schools, and restraining students in outfit choices. Though many people are for uniforms, many, however, are not. With a constant debate on whether uniforms are needed, I stand objectified against the use of uniforms, because research proves uniforms have a negative impact. Not only are the students negatively affected by uniforms, but so are the parents. So why do administrators put such a restraint on the clothing students wear? The short answer; they want to eliminate many of the problems that come along without the use of uniforms. Instead, more problems were created in its place, yet school boards are still blind to the cries of those against it. With a world so against change, open mindedness, and lack of freedom, I plan to examine the ‘side effects’ of wearing uniforms. Research has shown uniforms are very costly, does not allow freedom of expression, and does not help in the long run to further a student’s learning.

uniforms will not end all confrontation between the student, it will only change the reason for it.

For quite some time now there has been an ongoing discussion about students wearing school uniforms in public schools. Is students in the public-school system play a major role on them academically? Is making the students wear uniforms unfair or does it show equality? What image does it set for the schools that do have a uniform policy? Over the last few decades, the schools, parents, and students have had a debatable issue over the uniform matter.

“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 are becoming a popular trend amongst schools worldwide. Students and even most parents don’t agree with the implementation with school uniforms; declaring that uniforms take away the right of self-expression. This topic has both pros and cons that can impact youth in both a good and bad way. School uniforms can be beneficial to learning. The most common argument against school uniforms is that they take away the students right to self- expression. Requiring school uniforms eliminate the debate over whether to require uniforms or not is controversial, undeniably complex, and, from the analyses and arguments that are unquestionably rooted in multifaceted social, political, legal, cultural, racial material, and educational structures. The topic has both pros and cons that can be impact youth in both a good and bad way. One factor can be Academic outcomes; uniforms can reflect a student’s work ethnic as well as grades. Another factor can be behavioral outcomes; wearing uniforms may change a student’s attitude to being more professional since they look more

When students wear uniforms, students do not improve in any way. Student’s academic scores do not go higher when they wear a uniform. Researcher Virginia Draa found that “implementing a uniform policy in schools did not have any impact on academic performance”. If schools are hoping for their student’s academic scores to go higher by implementing uniforms, they would be better off without uniforms. Wearing uniforms don’t help a student’s attitude. A 2010 study in a large urban school district in the Southwest found that asking students to wear uniforms did not result in any change in the number of suspensions for elementary school students. Student’s behavior won’t change, if schools wanted to implement uniform. Uniforms don’t have any positive impact on students,

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.

“I hate my uniform!” is what every child who is required to wear a uniform would say. What students don’t realize is that there are more pros than cons when it comes to uniforms. Uniforms discipline students to be more respectful as well as obedient. I believe that uniforms provide students with a sense of pride, security and focus.