When people think of school uniforms, they think of kids all dressed up, wearing matching outfits in private schools, usually run by strict teachers who, when kids misbehave, whack them on the hands with a ruler. But there are also public schools which require uniforms, and other districts who are considering it.
In 1987, Cherry Hill Elementary in Baltimore, Md., became the first public school district to require uniforms (McFarland, Wisc. School District). Since that beginning, more schools have chosen to require uniforms.
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According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, 14 percent of students in public schols had a policy requiring students wear uniforms in the 2005-06 school year, an increase of two percent over statistics from the 1999-2000 school year (McFarland, Wisc. School District). Also, more than half of the schools had a dress code in place in 2005-06, (55 percent), as opposed to 47 percent in 1999-2000 (McFarland, Wisc. School District). In 2000, Philadelphia Board of Education became the first large city school district to require uniforms for its 200,000 students of all grades in its 259 schools (ECS Education Commission 2013). Some cities have required widespread use of uniforms, with New Orleans (95 percent of public students) and Cleveland (85 percent) leading the way (McFarland, Wisc. School District).
In 1996, the U.S. Department of Education cited benifits in having public schools use school uniforms. The reasons they gave in its Manual of School Uniforms included: 1. Decreasing violence and theft, 2. Preventing different colors associated with gangs, 3. Instilling student discipline, 4. Stopping peer pressure, 5. Helping students concentrate on academics and 6. Helping to recognize intruders (ECS Education Commission 2013).
When citing the need for school uniforms, administrators such as Patricia L. McGeehan, the superintendent of the Bayonne, N.J. district in 2006, said that having the uniforms took away clothing choices as a distraction.
So much of this is subtle, but I don’t want haves and have-nots,” said the district’s superintendent, Patricia L. McGeehan. “I want kids to come to school and just be here for academic success, and I want teachers to be able to teach” without dealing with the distractions that clothing can create, she said. “Because we’re here for teaching and learning.” (Weiss, 2006, Do Clothes Make the Student?)
Cost is also a factor in deciding on uniforms, and a survey USA Today in 1998 showed that it was cheaper for parents to have school uniforms that not. The survey said that parents spent an average of $185 per child on buying non-uniform clothing, compared to $104 to purchase uniforms (National Association of Elementary School Principals, 2008). In the Long Beach, (Calif.) Unified School District, they required three sets of uniforms, which they said cost between $65-75, and said that parents reported that cost was worth about the same as one pair of designer jeans. (Long Beach Unified School District). Also, the district provides financial assistance to families for whom the cost of the uniforms is prohibitive, with various charities, organizations, businesses and private donors helping to fund more than $160,000 in uniforms for the children (Long Beach Unified School District). The district also reported that, although state law allowed parents to request an exemption from the policy, only 2 percent of the parents do so (Long Beach Unified School District).
Long Beach also showed a measurible track record of success in terms of school discipline. In 1995, the district decided to implement a uniform policy for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Five years later, their statistics showed that overall crime had dropped by 91 percent, with suspensions reduced 90 percent, sex offenses by 96 percent and vandalism by 69 percent (Chatterjee 1999).
While better discipline is a key factor in deciding on school uniforms, one study by Virginia Draa did show that they don’t have a direct factor on academic performance. A study by Virginia Draa, a professor at Youngstown University, found increased attendance, graduation rates and fewer school suspensions, but did not improve performance in reading and math (Cole 2006). Still, she felt that having uniforms was beneficial for schools:
My advice to superintendents and principals, especially those in high risk school districts, would be that uniforms may help reduce problem behaviors and may create a more orderly environment for learning. They are not a cure-all, but they certainly may help. And to parents, who usually oppose mandatory uniform policies, I would say, ‘Don’t fight it.’ It actually might be a good thing.
(Cole 2006)
Draa’s conclusions still seem like uniforms are a good thing, because when teachers are able to have discipline in the classroom, it creates a more conducive learning environment. A better learning environment means that students can eventually get better grades, feel safer at school, think of school in a more positive light, and not have to worry
about peer pressure when it comes to what they are wearing. Better grades also means students have an improved chance to graduate, which will open more doors for them in their careers and their lives. While it may seem unfair for students not to be able to choose what they can wear to school, they still have time after school, weekends, holidays and vacation times to wear what they want and use clothing as their from of expression. When the students are in school, they are there to learn, and if uniforms help create a better learning environment, then schools should take a uniform requirement into consideration.
- McFarland, Wisconsin School District, Background: Public School Uniforms, N.D., retrieved from http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/
- Education Commission of the States, Safety/Student Discipline: Uniforms Dress Code overview, 2013, retrieved from http://www.ecs.org/
- Weiss Jennifer, (Sept. 16, 2006), “Do Clothes Make the Student? The New York Times, retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/
- Chatterjee Camille (Sept. 1, 1999, “Uniform Improvements,” Psychology Today, retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com
- National Association of Elementary School Principals, (May 9, 2008), Information and Resources: Public School Uniforms, Retrieved from http://www.schoolwearzone.com/
- Long Beach Unified School District, School Uniform Fact Sheet, retrieved from http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/
- Cole Ron (Jan. 11, 2006), YSU Professor Studies School Uniforms, The News, Retrieved from http://www.ysu.edu/
