Giving The Nation’s Students Their Potential

854 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: introduction to dress code

Controversy surrounding the school system tends to focus on one continual argument, should students be required to follow a dress code. This subject has been a hot topic debate between students, parents, and school systems for over half a century. A dress code can be anything from a required uniform, to students that are required to wear clothing that does not depict specific logos or emblems that are deemed unsafe, vulgar, or unethical. The argument originated when three young adults wanted to wear black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War in 1965. From this point, the argument did not cease and still continues. There are three main reasons why a dress code can be considered a moral decision; safety for the students and faculty is the first major reason. The second main reason is the keep the students on track and focused on school. The last main point is to remove gang affiliations from schools. Dress codes should be enforced within schools nationwide to keep the nation’s youth safe, and to help them achieve their true potential.
The argument that students should abide by a dress code has been a contentious topic of debate for several decades. When thought about what started the argument in the first place, many might say Tinker v. Des Moines School District is the beginning of the controversy. The case states, “Three public school pupils in Des Moines, Iowa, were suspended from school for wearing black armbands to protest the Government's policy in Vietnam.” (Tinker v. Des Moines) The plan for the three students was to wear black armbands for the holiday season in 1965 and end their petition on January 1, 1966. However, the principals of the Des Moines schools received word of this and implemented a new policy stating that ...

... middle of paper ...

...ique Opportunity for FCS." Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences 98.2 (2006): 25. ProQuest. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
DaCosta, Kneia. "Dress Code Blues: An Exploration of Urban Students' Reactions to a Public High School Uniform Policy."The Journal of Negro Education 75.1 (2006): 49-59. ProQuest. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. Supreme Court. 24 Feb. 1969. Legal Information Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
Smith, Natalie. "CHALK TALKS- Eliminating Gender Stereotypes in Public School Dress Codes: The Necessity of Respecting Personal Preference." Journal of Law and Education 41.1 (2012): 251- 9. ProQuest. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Studak, Cathryn M., PhD., and Jane E. Workman PhD. "Civil Behavior, Safe-School Planning, and Dress Codes." Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences 99.3 (2007): 23-8. ProQuest. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • School Dress Codes v. The First Amendment

    1687 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jahn, Karon L. “School Dress Codes v. The First Amendment: Ganging up on Student Attire.”

    Read More

  • School Dress Code Research Paper

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dress code enforces the modest dress of students, preventing bullying and distractions.Numerous people believe clothing is a distraction and when eliminated the school environment is more professional and gives a better education to a student. Authority figures consider the school apparel enforcements are constitutionally sound, not affecting the child’s right to freely express, and providing a professional and working setting causing a better learning environment and decreased amount of bullying due to clear differences in appearance. However, opposers disagree with the restrictive code because of its limitations on individuality

    Read More

  • A Fight Aganist Public Schools Strict Dress Codes

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many think that a stronger dress code will help students focus in school, but the way a student dresses does not determine a student’s willingness to learn or the teacher’s ability to capture the student’s attention. Also, adults argue that high school is a teenager’s job; therefore, they should dress professionally. However, Elizabeth Forward does not have a policy against sweatpants, sweatshirts, or athletic attire, which are much more unprofessional than tank tops or destroyed denim. I think that the dress code policies should be relaxed to a more lenient state given the temperature of the building throughout the school year, the change in long-term trends among teenagers, and the level of hypocrisy illustrated between the relationship of school’s administration and the dress code policy.

    Read More

  • Tinker v. Des Mointes School District

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 1960s, some Americans were against sending troops to Vietnam because of the many lives risked; others were against sending troops because of the money it would cost. In 1965, a group of Des Moines high school students met up and agreed to wear black armbands that following week to protest against the Vietnam War. Rumors got around to school principles. School Principals passed a rule forbidding armbands to be worn at school to prevent disruption in the classrooms. In December, five students wore armbands ignoring the school’s new rule. They were asked to take off the armbands, and they refused resulting in suspension ("Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School Dist"). Then the parents of those complained that the first amendment rights of those students were violated. This case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that students still have their rights of freedom of speech and expression in school in a 7-2 vote in favor of Tinker (“TINKER v. DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT”).

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Dress Codes

    449 Words  | 1 Pages

    Dress codes are essential for all schools across America. Dress codes will set the tone for students to be safe because they will help reduce violence, increase student safety, and provide a positive learning environment. Dress codes can reduce violence in many different ways. “The National School Board Association estimates that approximately 135,000 guns are brought to America’s 85,000 public schools each day.” (Larry Wilder, Pros of the Dress Code, pg. 1) “Some dress codes require students to have the belt line exposed at all times for fear of guns concealed under clothing.”

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Uniform Adoption in Public Schools

    1276 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ever wonder what it would look like to have all students wearing the same white polo shirt, black pants, and a district sweater walking in the hallway? Nowadays, public school and many districts are discussing the possibilities of enforcing the uniform policy. In most places, many private schools already require students to have their mandatory uniforms; however, there are only a few public schools adopting this mandatory school-uniform polices as one of their enrollment requirements. The reason why not all public schools participated was because people believe that they are violating the freedom of choice when enforcing this mandatory uniform policy; yet problems such as bullying and segregation, emerged in these schools. Some people still think uniforms have no benefits at all. However, all public school students should be required to wear uniforms because it would improve the academic performance, reduce the violent behaviors based on appearance judgment, and provide less stress for both parents and students.

    Read More

  • Enforcing the Dress Code Policy in Lima City Schools

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    ““Everybody goes to school looking the same, and they can concentrate on what’s going on in school, learning in their classes, concentrating on their education rather than what somebody else is wearing”, Helm said.” (Cavazos, 1) The question to answer is why don’t students follow the set rules regarding the dress code? Some parents and school officials, would argue that set polices are hard for students to follow and others would argue that policies aren’t strict enough. “More than a year ago, about 100 parents and students expressed their outrage at the board meeting saying the dress code was too strict and limited freedom of expression.” (Ford, 1). Unlike the Easton Area School board, Lima City Schools left their policy open so students would not have to wear the same uniform every day if they wished not to. They have options within the set policy.

    Read More

  • Pro School Uniforms

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    It has been observed that the adoption of school uniform policies can promote school safety, improve discipline, and enhance the learning environment. The potential benefits of school uniforms include decreasing violence and theft. Some instances involving designer clothing and expensive sneakers have even led to life-threatening situations among students. Uniforms would also prevent gang members from wearing gang colors and insignia at school. Uniforms would also teach students discipline and help them resist peer pressure. Uniforms would also help students concentrate on their schoolwork and would help school officials detect intruders who come unwelcome into the school.

    Read More

  • Arguments for School Dress Codes

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is extremely apparent to me, and should be apparent to others, on how much of a significant difference there is in the academic environment when dress codes and uniforms are enforced in public schools. By enforcing these policies, it neither makes students feel physically, mentally, or socially uncomfortable, nor takes away any freedoms that are stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Besides eliminating opportunities for the ridicule of less fortunate students based on their attire, helping prevent gang violence and in schools, and generating overall academic excellence and discipline in the educational community, there are numerous other reasons to support the principles of having dress codes or uniform policies established in every public school across the nation.

    Read More

  • Uniforms Vs School Uniforms Essay

    1592 Words  | 4 Pages

    Parents and their children are constantly arguing about the way students dress in school. This debate has become a national conversation which has been going on for more than a decade. However, there still hasn’t been a final resolution. The questions “Why do I have to wear the uniform today?” or “Can I wear this t-shirt because the color matches with my school t-shirt?” have become part of our everyday lives. Before we go any further, we have to understand the difference between uniforms and dress codes. A uniform is simply a garment worn that is the same in all cases and at all times. Whereas, a dress code is a set of rules regarding the required manner of clothing in a certain context. For instance, a school might not allow students to wear

    Read More

  • Benefits Of School Uniforms

    2485 Words  | 5 Pages

    With many of the schools that do not use school uniforms, they are having trouble with their students, and the school environment is collapsing. Two very educated people that work on keeping schools safe; Linda Lumsden and Gabriel Miller’s, in their article “School Uniforms and Dress Codes”, they have informed people the biggest reasons school crime exists. Some kids come in dressed promoting drugs and alcohol, others come in dressed in “swag in gang related clothes”, and other students come to school with sexually provocative clothing (Lumsden, Miller). This is getting out of hand because so many students are wearing cloths, which is provocative, and no one is taking serious control to stop them from being a distraction to other students. Also one of the biggest issues with schools these days, are the school shootings. Sherry Bowen, a professional in the education system has informed people about how easy it is to sneak in weapons to school. By using schools uniforms it will be hard to sneak in a gun, or other harmful weapon (Bowen). With schoo...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On School Uniform

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    In America, “The World’s Melting Pot”, we are all unique and should be seen as individuals. Wearing a uniform does not allow for students to demonstrate their individuality; they have to dress conforming to the school’s uniform policy. According to Akerlof and Kranton, “...with attempting to establish a sense of community might be the loss of student’s sense of identification with the school, which could in turn yield lowered outcomes in effort and skills”. These policies leave the students questioning themselves and wondering, “Who am I?”. A survey, of 100 random students, conducted at Zapata High School showed that 72% of students reviewed felt that wearing a uniform suppresses their ability to express themselves as individuals. Forcing students to wear a uniform is also going against the first amendment, which clearly prohibits Congress from making laws that violate freedom of speech; it includes freed...

    Read More

  • A Persuasive Essay Against School Uniforms

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is something comforting about school children and teenagers dressed in pleats and plaid. Maybe it is a reminder of past times, or conjures up thoughts of order and safety. Whatever the reason, school uniforms are getting a lot of ?wear? these days, yet remain an unproven deterrent to school violence. No long-term, formal studies have been done with regards to the effectiveness of school uniforms, but many schools have kept their own informal statistics, such as the Long Beach School District. These statistics offered by Long Beach are often most cited as a proven deterrent to school violence, after adopting a mandatory uniform policy in 1994. According to Richard Van Der Laan, school crime has dropped over seventy-five percent, while attendance has reached an all-time high. One question we must ask ourselves is this, ?Is it the uniforms, or the induction of them that is solving the problem?? Maybe it is the school and parents showing some ?back-bone? which is affecting the students, not the clothing.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On School Dress Codes

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first dress code was sent to be decided by the Supreme Court. The problem was that students were protesting against the Vietnam War by wearing black wristbands which educators thought to be disrupting to the classroom. However, these codes help prepare kids for the real world where they must dress to the appropriate attire. Research shows, that students learn better when there is a dress code in place and the staff says many students are less worried about what they are wearing and focusing more on completing their school work. Dress codes also introduce a healthy learning environment for kids and help reduce violence. Other statistics have changes as well. Attendance has gone up and gang violence has gone down. Some students are feeling uncomfortable and are saying students are going to have to start dressing the same due to the dress code. On the same note, students also feel that their individualism has gone down because there are so many restrictions on what they can and cannot

    Read More

  • Why Should Public Schools Mandate Uniforms?

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    To many Americans the idea of school uniforms is like an old-fashioned concept. School uniforms have always been a contentious topic in the United States because of the culture adopted by most Americans. Unless a child attends a private educational institution, wearing specific uniforms is not practiced by children. A common argument today is that whether uniforms should be mandated in public school system. Why do more than half public schools now enforce dress codes (Toppo)? There are many different benefits for having uniforms in schools. Uniforms in public schools decrease economic problems for schools and parents, reduce social barriers between students, encourage discipline, and create a safe environment.

    Read More

More about Giving The Nation’s Students Their Potential

Open Document