Why School Uniforms And Low Income Areas

With the gang activity growing throughout the 80’s school officials realized that implementing uniforms or strict dress codes may help combat the problem with gang apparel in schools. Previously dress codes have been seen in the form of uniforms or strict rules in parochial, private and public school systems across the country. In private schools, uniforms were first implemented to mark a student’s social status (Motsinger par 8). Many people, according to Alfie Kohn, author of What to Look for in a Classroom…and Other Essays most people associate uniforms with, “the good ole days [when uniforms] symbolized [. . .] obedience.” Uniforms were a sign of respect, children respected their elders and presented themselves well while wearing them. As stated by Anderson in “School Dress Codes and Uniform Policies,” “[t]he first public school known to have adopted uniforms was Cherry Hill Elementary in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1987. In 1994, Long Beach (CA) Unified School District (LBUSD) was the first school district to adopt a districtwide uniform dress code policy” (par 11). During the Clinton administration the talk of school dress codes and uniforms in public schools first surfaced after his State of the Union Address in 1996. Since Clinton’s speech, schools all around the country have revised and implemented new dress code policies.

However, this statistic varies from district to district and largely depends on what type of area this occurs in (Draa 159). Uniform policies are most common in urban areas where kids are likely to drop out or skip due to their affiliation with gangs. The type of clothing you where is integral to gang culture so it’s harder to recruit new members if you can’t even wear your colors. Additionally, students are able to better focus on their school work instead of being preoccupied with what they’re wearing that day for school. Uniforms also make it a lot easier for the student to get dressed for school since they’re not worried about what outfit they need to put together.

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.

Firstly, we will be talking about why students wearing school uniforms is an policy for schools to inform. In addition, school uniforms deter crime and increase student safety. Correspondly, many schools have had students sneak weapons and drugs into the school which have been hidden in their clothing items. School uniforms make it easier to keep track of students on field trips, and make intruders on campus more visible. As a matter of fact, Sparks Middle School in Nevada instituted a uniform policy, school police data showed a 63% drop in police log reports, and decreases were also noted in gang activity, student fights, graffiti, property damage, and other of the kind. In like manner, a bulletin published by the National Association of Secondary School Principals stated that, "When all students are wearing the same outfit, they are less concerned about how they look and how they fit in with their peers; thus, they can concentrate on their schoolwork. Many students in school are bullied for their looks and their clothing style causing them to focus less on school and more on looks. Furthermore, 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 be eliminated. The fact that many people care so much about their appearance, people often end up waking up earlier in the morning to fit in the time needed. However, with school uniforms, it would almost be effortless to plan an

When it comes to our economy, we as Americans must pinch our pennies where we can. Many parents are faced with the dilemma of outfitting their children in the latest trends or putting money towards more important things like saving for their children's college education. Some families are unable to afford the popular named brand clothing that their children desire, which make the children, feel inadequate in school when they are forced to wear lesser brand clothes or second hand outfits. School uniforms would take away that hassle of finding bargains to ensure that their children feel confident in their attire. Uniforms are generally more durable than the average street clothes. Granted, the cost may be a bit more substantial in the beginning, but the uniforms will last longer which means there is less out of pocket expense for replacement articles. With uniforms, the parents may only have to purchase two or three sets compared to several pairs of bottoms and tops. Uniforms are more durable and can be washed more frequently compared to regular clothes. This makes them the better option not only for lower income families, but all families in general.

Uniforms should not be required because they don’t stop bullying and intellectual decline. A uniform being put on a person doesn’t affect their grades because a uniform doesn’t change how one's mind works. When one school was required to wear a uniform for a semester and wasn’t required to wear a uniform for another semester and then the semester grades of students were looked at, in the article “Back to School Shoppers Debate” by Courtenay Edelhart she states “The transition didn’t affect grades” (Edelhart). Why do schools continuously still think that a uniform is a solution to their problems? The real reason is the schools think that uniforms will work as a band-aid for low grades, but according to this research that didn’t work. Another thing that schools want uniforms for is to decrease disciplinary problems and gang relations. They think that by making students wear uniforms they will not fight. Again a uniform doesn’t change how the brain works. In an article called “School Uniforms” it states “Several academic research studies, they point out, have found that uniforms have no quantifiable effect on academic achievement, attendance, or discipline” (School Uniforms 1). The study was done several times which clearly shows that the first study wasn’t a fluke. This study found things on discipline issues, and it backed up research on academic issues. Both of these studies suggest that a uniform will not help the growing violence and academic levels in schools.

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.

Is the absence of school uniforms leading to an up rise of violence between children in public schools? According to the National School Safety Center’s Report on School Associated Violent Deaths, “Since the 1992-1993 school year, two-hundred seven were shooting victims” (Kelly n pag). According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “10% of all public schools had one or more serious violent crimes (murder, rape, sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery), and most of the serious violent crimes occurred in the middle and high schools” (Kelly n pag).

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.

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 were first implemented in the late 1990s 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.

Why is required school uniforms always discussed in low income areas vs. medium or high income areas? The fact that required uniforms are well established in low income areas is like a double edged sword.According to the “Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion” The public first became aware of “dress codes in schools in the 1950’s,(girl's prohibited from wearing pants, had to wear skirts or dresses).During the 1960’s,blue jeans, black leather jackets, and other accoutrements associated with gangs were prohibited among boys(and, of course girls, as well). By the 1980’s, problems with gang violence led to dress codes that attempted to do away with gang colors. Dress codes have routinely been used to prohibit

Violence in schools is a big problem. Former President Bill Clinton thinks so during his recent state of the Union address he said: “public schools should be allowed to require uniforms if it would mean teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets” (“Will School…” 1). They believe that wearing the uniform makes quite a bit of a difference in how students will behave (“Will School…”2). If the student wears a uniform to school other than their “gang clothes” it will protect the other students from getting hurt. Violence has gone down in the schools with dress code and people have been impressed by the difference (“Will School…” 2). Schools that do not require the dress code for school uniforms should look at the difference of violence and see that it has decreased with them. “Reports have placed pressure on schools and politicians to act quickly before the situation gets out of control” (Wilkins 1). In 1994 CA Long Beach Unified School District voted 81% (4,079 votes) said yes that school uniforms help prevent gang violence (Hamilton 32). While the rest of the school district said no and that students should be allowed to express themselves through their clothing (Hamilton 32) People say the only down fall with having the uniform are the students can not express themselves with their own clothes they want to wear. Unfortunately many children today wear baggy clothes to

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

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