Why School Uniforms Should Be Abolished

In the article “How Ugly Schools Uniforms Will Save Education” by Belinda Luscombe found in Time, the author explains how various school problems which lead to crime and disobedience of law could be solved by introducing school uniforms. There are often arguments about what to wear at school. “It's a debate that sucks up a lot of time for school administrators. And parents. But it's the world's easiest education problem to solve: school uniforms.” The author's main point is to make people aware of the need of school uniforms and how it helps solve many crucial problems.

It has often been debated if middle schoolers should or should not have school uniforms. There are a lot of pros and cons of having school uniforms. One pro is students would not have to fight over name brand clothing (which would cost the parents less for clothes). One counter-argument talks about how dated the system is, it also talks about how it discourages free-thinking and self-expression. The cons of having school uniforms outweigh the pros of having school uniforms.

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.

District 230 should not mandate a school uniform policy because of the following: school uniforms go against our rights, raise questions of equality, and they rely on anti-democratic principles. (MP1)To start, school uniforms go against rights in the first amendment like: freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. (EV)Robson states in his Viewpoint, ¨Symbols or words on clothes are most likely to clear the speech hurdle; they will then be evaluated against the “disruption” standard articulated by the Supreme Court in the watershed case Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District. Tinker involved students wearing black armbands to protest the war in Vietnam. Borrowing from civil rights cases, the court decided for the protesters:

An issue in school that effects many inner-city schools is gang relations. “Uniforms add measures of safety in identical dress. Gang identification is obscured. Group violence and theft are dissipated... Children are no longer identified by their 'colors.' Uniform dress alleviated the feelings of imminent danger for students who were afraid they might inadvertently dress in gang colors.” (Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms?). This serves as a way to get rid of gang violence and affiliation in the school environment. Without gang recognition, there is less gang violence.

“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.

At school should students have to have school uniforms? If you asked me then I would say no way to School uniforms, The uniforms look like crap or the uniforms don’t feel very good and everybody would make fun of you and think less of your school.

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 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

Wouldn’t you appreciate that your children always know what to wear for school? School uniform is what makes it easy! A set of clothing that is mainly worn, school uniform is one of the school's policy and recommendation. Generally worn in elementary and middle school, this outfit is composed of specific colors of long or short pants and shirts for boys, sometimes with a tie. Girls usually wear a dress or a blouse worn either with a skirt or pants, all however have the same colors. This dress code determines even the type of shoes that should be worn at school. School uniform may vary from school to school, but it remains the basis dress code for the education system. The adoption of school extensive uniform mandatory has been encouraged

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.

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.

A study has been done by two Notre Dame University professors, they looked at how uniforms affected “attendance, disciplinary behavior problems, substance abuse, and academic achievement.” From the study the teachers’ outlook of their students with uniforms on changed immensely, they saw them as acting more responsibly, intelligent, and more prosperous. This opinion is false, the students had the same intelligence level as before and based on the results of the study the uniforms did not show a decline in absence, drug use, attitudes toward school, or achievement in the classroom. The study found that tenth graders’ success levels were adversely affected by being compelled to wear uniforms. This shows that there are negative effects of wearing school uniforms.

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.

Wearing uniform to school have increased of the years, although some schools have not adopted the school uniform policy. Administrators and staff believe that wearing uniform have made schools safer for students, have improved school attendance and increased student achievement, and have reduced the changes of students being bullied. However, others have argued that wearing uniforms have not improve student behavior and wearing the uniform have infringed on student’s freedom of individuality. This essay will explain the importance of adopting a school uniform policy, why all public schools should have a uniform dress code, and how wearing uniform will provide a unified school environment. Therefore, all public schools should adopt a school uniform policy because, it uses will help to reduce bullying, provide a safer learning environment, and help to recognize gang affiliated members.