Are School Uniforms a Good Idea

From LoveToKnow Kids

Are school uniforms a good idea? The question remains one of the more hotly debated topics in public education policy.

Some say school uniforms keep kids calm.

Examining the Question: Are School Uniforms a Good Idea?

To simply ask whether or not school uniforms are a good idea is to over-simplify the issues that are facing educators and students today. Perhaps school uniforms are a good idea for some students but don't make a significant difference in academic performance for other students. Perhaps, whether or not school uniforms are a good idea is dependent on how the school uniform policy is implemented and subsequently enforced. The differences in implementation and enforcement could yield fairly significant differences in terms of how positively school uniforms impact the student body.

A Look at the History of School Uniforms

A look at the history of school uniforms shows that the idea of school uniforms is nothing new. Most of the most prestigious universities have had in their past a period of time where students wore uniforms. In fact, it wasn't until the late 1960's that many public schools did away with the dress code. Most private schools in the United States have always required at the very least some sort of dress code if not a complete uniform. In this way, uniforms have often been associated with higher academic achievement and better behaved students. Is this because the students are simply "dressed for success" and wearing a uniform helps set a different mind set? Or, is this because of other programs that the school has implemented as well? It is hard to say, and there is not a lot of research that in fact indicates that the act of wearing uniforms in and of themselves actually contributes to academic achievement. However, uniforms are shown to decrease discipline problems for many school districts.

School Uniforms: A Look at Implementation

Because implementing school uniforms has been such a controversial decision with both sides weighing in on the pros and cons of school uniforms, the United States Department of Education has a policy statement written regarding the implementation of school uniforms. Although this manual was written several years ago, it is regularly updated and has been the precedent setting document for implementation of school uniforms all over the United States. According to the manual, some key ingredients for implementing a successful uniform code include:

Parental involvement and support.
Protection of the freedom to express one's religious beliefs. (For example, students should be allowed to wear yarmulkes and head scarves, but expression of religious beliefs doesn't necessarily include a religious t-shirt where all t-shirts have been banned.)
Protection of the freedom of expression. (A button expressing a view might be fine, but gang paraphernalia would not be fine.)
Schools should offer financial assistance to those who would not be able to afford uniforms. After all, one goal of school uniforms is to equalize the socioeconomic differences among students.
Implement an entire safety program along with school uniforms. School uniforms alone are not enough to improve the environment of the school.

Properly implemented, the United States Department of Education believes that school uniform programs have a positive impact on the school learning environment.

Case Studies on Uniform Policies

If you truly want to know how students wearing uniforms impacts education, then you need to look at the school systems that actually have uniform policies. In the US Department of Education's manual on school uniforms, there are a few case studies to take note of.

Long Beach California School District

Long Beach Unified School District chose to implement a district wide mandatory uniform policy for all students in grades K-8 to help improve the overall moral and attitude of its students. They have since been used as a standard model of school uniform policy, and it's easy to see why. Just one year after the school uniform policy was implemented all crimes on school property (vandalism, sex offenses, theft, weapons possessions, etc.) decreased significantly. This was in 1995. . .the school district now ranks as one of the top school districts in the nation. While officials don't attribute this entirely to the uniform policy, they do site uniforms as being helpful in establishing a studious atmosphere.

Other Comments from School Officials

While Long Beach California's example is certainly dramatic, other principals and officials site the positive outcomes the school uniform policies has brought to their schools:

Students are calmer.
Adults must focus on the individual child.
It creates an atmosphere of teamwork and "school pride."

Has a school uniform policy been adopted in your child's school district? Research and observation certainly suggests that wearing uniforms improves student behavior which in turn can improve grades and overall academic performance.

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