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May 18, 2023 · Most public schools with uniform policies are in low-income neighborhoods (47% of high-poverty public schools required school uniforms vs. 6% of low poverty schools), emphasizing the class distinctions that uniforms were supposed to eliminate.
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Analyze the benefits of school uniforms at private schools...
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- Pros of School Uniforms
- Cons of School Uniforms
- Conclusion
- Scholarly Sources and Studies Cited
1. Affordability
Many schools intentionally choose uniforms that are very basic, such as “white polo shirt and grey shorts”, so that parents do not have to pay exorbitant amounts of money on the uniforms. Many low-cost clothing stores also make the effort to produce and distribute these typical uniform-conformant clothes at low cost during back-to-school sales. A typical 5 pack of basic white polo shirts that students can wear to school as a uniform is likely to be significantly cheaper than an outfit a child...
2. Hand-me-Down Options
It is regular practice at schools with school uniforms for parents to offer uniforms for free as hand-me-down outfits once their children grow out of the uniform. This has the effect of helping poorer families to access uniforms for their children without cost. There tends to be an over-supply of uniforms – both new and second-hand – because of the sheer number of children growing out of their uniform every month. As a result, parents in desperate need of uniforms are often able to source uni...
3. Visible Poverty is Reduced
If all children are dressed the same, the poorer children whose parents cannot afford brand-name clothing are not as visibly singled-out. They will be wearing the same clothes as the wealthier children. This can have the effect of reducing chances of bullying based on a child’s family’s levels of wealth. But it also enables children who are poor to feel as if they are no different from others. It helps to start all children off on a level playing field, and makes them feel more secure that th...
23. There is no Impact on Grades
Several studieshave found no changes in academic achievement between groups of students who wear uniforms and those who do not. If there is no clear academic benefit of a uniform, it can be argued that the uniforms are pointless. It seems that the true benefit of wearing a uniform is in the hidden curriculum– that is, in teaching things at school that are not in the academic curriculum. That includes things like discipline and conformity. Whether it’s the role of schools to teach these things...
24. Lack of Freedom of Expression
There are some who question the legality and constitutionality of enforcing school uniforms in public schools in the United States. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, which may also protect free dress. However, to date, the Supreme Court has not made any comment on the constitutionality of uniforms. In 1969, it got close, but upholding students’ rights to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam war. Overall, the key argument here is that a dress code restricts creative express...
25. Visible Diversity can be a Good Thing
People who argue for school uniforms say that it prevents bullying. It stops children from teasing each other because of what they wear. But if we want a multi-cultural world, isn’t school the perfect place to start talking about our diversity and how it’s a good thing? But making all children wear uniforms, we’re hiding (“sweeping under the rug”) diversity. We’re preventing conversations about it and celebration of it. Thus, uniforms are arguably outdated in a world where diversity should be...
Clearly, there are many pros and cons of school uniforms. But, one thing I did realize when researching for this article was that there are a lot of differing opinions within the research. Some research papers (such as the one by NAESP that I cited several times) appear very biased toward school uniforms. And some academic studies found conflicting...
Baumann, C. & Krskova, H. (2016). School discipline, school uniforms and academic performance.International Journal of Educational Management, 30(6), pp. 1003-1029. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-09-2015-0118 Firmin, M., Smith, S. & Perry, L. (2006). School Uniforms: A Qualitative Analysis of Aims and Accomplishments at Two Christian Schools, Journal...
Apr 20, 2018 · Proponents argue that uniforms can make schools safer and also improve school attendance and increase student achievement. Opponents contend that uniforms have not been proven to work and may be an infringement on the freedom of speech of young people.
Mar 1, 2024 · Researchers are divided over how much of an impact — if any — dress policies have on student learning. There are multiple studies with conflicting conclusions, plus books such as 2018’s The Debate About School Uniforms, but the argument wears on, with a list of pros and cons on each side.
- Marian Wilde
- In the 1980s, public schools were often compared unfavorably to Catholic schools. Noting the perceived benefit that uniforms conferred upon Catholi...
- Virginia Draa, assistant professor at Youngstown State University, reviewed attendance, graduation and proficiency pass rates at 64 public high sch...
- Editor’s note: This video is part of our high school milestones series about communication skills. The students in this video discuss the pros and...
- Pro: promotes equality and inclusion. Uniforms should be a “social leveller”, Green told the “Today” programme. Wearing the same clothes “fosters a sense of inclusion and equity in school students”, said Education Times, and can help with “laying the foundation of an equal society”.
- Con: imposes extra financial burden. A Hull councillor has called for a uniform subsidy to help struggling families, saying parents were “having to choose between school clothes and essentials, like food and rent”, said BBC News.
- Pro: promotes discipline and focus. Uniforms became more common in the US in the late 1980s “with the promise that they would curb gang violence and crime”, said The Washington Post.
- Con: curbs freedom of expression. The growing support for school uniforms in the US is “one of the great surrenderings of liberty in modern history”, said Mark Oppenheimer for The New Yorker.
Delve into the debate on why students should not wear uniforms. Our article presents persuasive reasons and statistics to support a more flexible dress code.
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May 3, 2021 · Wearing uniforms enhances school pride, unity, and community spirit. School uniforms may improve attendance and discipline. Uniform policies save valuable class time because they are easier to enforce than a standard dress code. School uniforms prevent the display of gang colors and insignia.
