Pros:
- Help eliminate economic disparities and class distinctions between students
- Increase school pride and sense of belonging
- Decrease gang activity in schools
- Improve learning environment by eliminating distractions
- Less expensive and less clothing to buy
- Intruders easier to spot
- Weapons harder to conceal
Cons:
- Violation of 1st and 9th amendment rights (freedom of speech and right to privacy)
- Loss of individuality
- Expensive
- More in-school suspensions (due to uniform violations)
- Vigorous enforcement can often cause more problems
As with any policy, the issue of school uniforms has created quite a stir locally and nationally. In 2007, Metro Nashville Public Schools adapted Standard School Attire Policy to mixed reviews. The Standard Attire includes black, navy, or khaki slacks, skirts, or shorts as well as navy or white collared long sleeve or short sleeved shirts. A more detailed list of the dress code policy can be viewed here.
Questions to Consider:
What are the implications for this type of uniform policy? Does a dress code eliminate some of the stigmas that come with school uniforms? Do you think uniforms or a dress code are a much needed asset in public schools? Can school uniforms or dress codes help eliminate problems such as bullying, gangs, school violence, and behavior issues or is it a "band-aid" for much deeper social issues? Are school uniforms a form of social justice by creating an "equal playing field" for all students?
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12 comments:
Kate, you raise an interesting question. The level of influence a school uniform has, both positive and negative, is hard to measure. I think that there is something to be said about uniforms "leveling the playing field", but I don't think they can fix everything. A child who is picked on will at least have one less thing to worry about, though, since peers do tend to be harsh when it comes to "fashion". And, in terms of freedom of expression, not only is there room for expression through hair, accessories, back-pack deco, etc., but I don't see much difference between asking a child to dress appropriately for school and asking employees to dress a certain way (whether or not a uniform is provided).
The other question, however, is cost. It's true that not everyone will be able to afford a uniform, which got me to thinking about sports uniforms. Those are lent to the students, usually with a parent signature guaranteeing the uniforms will be properly maintained and returned promptly at the end of the season, plus a "security deposit". Why couldn't a school adopt a similar system for school uniforms?
I decided the best way for me to express my opinion was to take each Pro listed and explain why it is not enough to constitute uniforms…
•Help eliminate economic disparities and class distinctions between students-
This may help to some extent but kids are observant and they can tell if the uniforms are second hand or if they are new.
•Increase school pride and sense of belonging-
There are many other ways to accomplish this including dress codes, competitions and pep rallies.
•Decrease gang activity in schools-
Where there is a will, there is a way. If they want to wear red they could wear red shoe laces, hair bands or bracelets.
•Improve learning environment by eliminating distractions-
Simply requiring kaki pants and green collard shirts does not eliminate distractions. If anything, it could spur more acting out because children might find it harder to express themselves otherwise.
•Less expensive and less clothing to buy-
I do not agree that uniforms make for less clothing to buy. Children are more likely to want the same amount of non-uniform clothes to wear outside of school hours.
•Intruders easier to spot-
Who says an intruder has to be stupid? If I wanted to sneak onto school property, I would wear what they are wearing.
•Weapons harder to conceal-
I don’t see how uniforms make weapons more concealable.
Lastly, bullies will always find a reason to be mean. To sum up, I do not agree with school uniforms but I do agree with dress codes. There is nothing wrong with saying no ripped jeans or bandanas. Uniforms are just a bit extreme for my taste.
Erica, you bring up some really interesting points, and many that I agree with. Growing up, I always was very against uniforms. (There were two different schools in my city, one of which had uniforms and one did not). I went to the school without uniforms and always felt bad for the people at the other school who were not able to choose what they wanted to wear each day.
I think that many of the "Pro's" of school uniforms are good ideas but, like Erica, I believe they can be flawed and achieved through other means.
For instance, teaching at an inner-city Metro middle school, I found that Erica's idea "Where there is a will there is a way" to be incredibly accurate. In fact, the students had implemented a gang where certain colors, that were still "standard' were worn on certain days. Kids are smart enough to establish gang rituals even amongst regulation.
I would even argue that more social stratification results from uniforms. Take for instance private schools in the Nashville area that have very recognizable uniforms (Harpeth Hall). It seems to me that it becomes even easier to categorize low and high SES families this way.
I would have to agree with Erica. I am not in favor of a school uniform, but i do find the idea of using dress code restrictions to be effective. I feel that freedom of expression is one of the most important rights that we have as americans, and as long as what we are expressing doesn't cause discomfort towards other people in our schools, i find no problem with students wearing whatever clothing they choose as long as it is non-offensive. Creating a standard of what is deemed offensive is not as difficult in my eyes as people make it seem. If i were to choose to wear a t-shirt with my favorite band on it, i do not feel that this would be offensive to most people. Obviously things that are not allowed in schools, such as drugs, alcohol, violence, and intollerance should not be advertised on anyones clothing, along with gang symbols. Other than that, students deserve to be able to wear what they choose.
It is not the schools job to put students on an equal playing field in the social realm. There are too many factors in this that are far beyond the schools control. It is better for educators to focus on evening the playing field academically.
Chuck stated that “it is not the schools job to put students on an equal playing field in the social realm,” but that they should instead “focus on evening the playing field academically.” Isn’t regulating school dress a means of “evening the playing field academically” by limiting the possible negative influences that this one social factor can pose? Is not school dress an academic as well as social issue?
Also, by what standard is “freedom of expression” to trump the psychological and academic well-being of students? Chuck mentioned that students should be able to “wear whatever clothing they choose as long as it is non-offensive” and “doesn’t cause discomfort towards other people.” Who defines what “discomfort” is? What if educated adults can see harm in certain dress practices that students are not intelligent and reflective enough to notice? Is discomfort only when a person wears a racist or sexist shirt that obviously offends others? What of the more implicit messages found in clothing that effect students more than they realize? How many poor students look at other students dressed immaculately and say, “It sure is discomforting to look at them because it decreases my self-esteem and sense of worth.” Dress can do more to “discomfort” kids than is obvious, and we as adults are not oblivious to such realities. Should we not therefore take steps to keep students from such psychological discomforts, if even only minimally? Uniforms are at least one noble attempt to decrease the explicit and implicit negatives that can flow from dress.
Finally, we need to make sure we view this issue critically and reflectively. It is unfair to the issue and to reason to say that uniforms are wholly appropriate or inappropriate. As with every issue, there are strengths and weaknesses of each position, and we need to be open to the realities rather than allow our view of a topic be guided by our presuppositions. In my view, uniforms are no perfect panacea for the various ills found in today’s schools, but when the pros and cons are compared it seems to me that uniforms do have some cumulative advantage over student choice.
I think that high schools do actually face a very difficult issue when they sit down to decide what clothing is "offensive" in a school setting. I knew several people in high school who were subject to administrative disagreement about their choices of attire, because the dress code is rather unclear, and schools sort of necessarily have a lower tolerance for what might be considered offensive than the general public world. We all know this--as teachers we have to be a lot more conservative about what we wear, say, and do in the school setting; it is generally expected (in MOST schools, I know there are exceptions) that we won't make our politics known to students, etc.--in other words, most schools work very hard to create this sort of politically/socially neutral environment, so that any political and social issues can become a topic for reflective discussion and learning rather than an arena for personal disagreement.
A lot of schools have a specific mention in their dress code that shirts featuring Malcolm X are not allowed. Is this rule controversial? The school district doesn't really think so. Some students disagree. But every time a new "radical" figure becomes popular on t-shirts, the district is going to have to decide whether it's something that should be disallowed. I think what a uniform does is eliminate the need to debate over this kind of sensitive issue, thereby eliminating one "distraction". It's not necessarily eliminating a student distraction, but an administrative one that extends to students when it becomes an issue. Of course students will find a way to express their personality or even a gang affiliation regardless of a uniform requirement, but I do think uniforms can make it a little easier to avoid conflict between students and administration; you either wear the uniform, or you go home (or, in what I believe is a better system, you wear a uniform out of the loaner box in the office, which as we know is probably 'punishment' enough).
Part of the dress code that I feel has been left out is not only what is worn but how it is worn. I work with 2nd and 3rd grade students in many different Nashville elementary schools. Although there are some flexibilities in what can be worn, there are also explicit ways it must be worn, such as tucked in shirts or with a belt. I feel the intent of the code is to promote respect for ones self and create an atmosphere conducive to learning.
As Chuck and others have mentioned this "right" for students to wear what they want. Right before this argument they list things that should not be worn. Schools already draw a line which implies students do not and should not have control over this issue. This does not hamper there freedom of expression either as other have noted they find others ways to work within the system.
Freedom of speech should not be used either as we know that schools severely limit this anyways. Children have lost this right when they walk through the doors of the school.
Schools should be a place of learning and should be given the power to do what is necessary to create an environment conducive to this end. Students can express themselves when they are in social settings outside of school and speak (with or without words) on their own time. Respect, orderly, and neat should be descriptive of classrooms and students. I feel sloppy dress can reflect sloppy behavior.
I agree with Zach when he articulately states that uniforms "create an atmosphere conducive to learning". In my experiences with my students, they were uniforms daily to school. But, when we have dress down days, their behavior turn 180 degrees. I even remember as a student when I had dress down days, and how it affected my behavior and attitude. I think that your dress shows respect for the school and what it offers.
Now, I also feel that a strict "professional" dress code ( button down shirt for girls and boys, pants, skirts) is a happy medium. We had this rule in my last school, and the students still had much freedom to wear the trends, but still had to look decent and appropriate. I feel that this type of dress fosters a sense of pride and respect for your school, the surrounding adults, visitors and yourself. I know that there are cons for it- cost, shame in not having the "right" clothes- but does anyone else think that this could work in our public schools? Am I looking at it with a rose-tinted glasses?
I think that there are some very important issues raised here. One issue though that I wanted to point out was regarding two of the "cons" that Kate highlighted:
- More in-school suspensions (due to uniform violations)
- Vigorous enforcement
Both of these are serious issues that I think need to be addressed. Like Zach, I also work with 2nd and 3rd graders in many Metro schools. I have witnessed time and again multiple instances of teachers yelling and reprimanding students for having their shirts not tucked and not buttoned, while other students who actually are misbehaving go unnoticed. Do teachers need another thing to "monitor?" Should teachers and administrators be responsible for ensuring that each and every student has the right color polo shirt and that it is tucked in?
I think a lot of the enforcement issues come from the fact that this policy was recently adapted in Metro schools. Since the policy is so new, many parents and students are still learning what is/is not appropriate attire. I wonder if these issues of enforcement and discipline will be as large an issue in the future?
Uniforms... I love the conversation that is going on here. As a high schooler I always thought it was nice to be able to wear what I wanted, but I always hated picking out what I was going to wear. Now I know this is silly...but one of my pros for dress code is that students can come to school prepared for the day with an easy morning, not worrying about what to wear or what they "look like" for the day. I know that will still happen to an extent...but I wonder if children who wear uniforms are ready to get into the academics quicker in the morning that ones that pick out their clothes each day.
Secondly, I agree about the idea that not only does the dress code lead to school pride, but also self respect and pride. I think by allowing students to find value in things other than what they wear is so important. Can just regulating their attire do that??
I generally like the school uniform idea actually.
I came from a private school with a uniform code and I didn't mind it at all, but I was not one to care too much about my appearance. What I like most about a well done uniform is more along the lines of a dress code.
By dress code I generally mean requirements, but allowing the students to purchase their own items. For example, the requirement could to be have only certain colors and certain styles of shirts/pants, but the students can go purchase whatever they would like about it.
Secondly I also agree about the school pride part, as it makes days where dressing out of dress-code much more appealing (such as homecoming week). These give students more opportunities to really be creative, at least I think so.
Thirdly and finally, I think dress-code is a nice way to help students understand more of what the real world is like. I don't know of a job that doesn't have some sort of dress code, even if it's just "business casual," thats still a dress-code. By explaining it to students in this way they would better understand what some of the real life aspects are, and those which are usually overlooked.
Before I started doing practicums and being involved with schools, I was really opposed to the idea of school uniforms and strict dress code policies, but now that I am in the community, I really like what I am seeing.
In metro, the students have to wear collared shirts, belts, nice pants, etc, and they just LOOK so much nicer and I really could see a difference in the attitude of the students that I was observing in their attitudes through each other.
Even with uniforms and dress codes you can still express yourself through hair, shoes, make-up, accessories, etc. and students do.
I have to agree with Chuck on the point that the school should not be able to dictate what the students must wear, but I just know that from my own experience that I really like how it looks and how much more all of the students look like they belong together.
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