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School uniform debate introduction
Argument against school uniforms
School uniforms negative effects on education
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Every year there is a new debate going on in the public schools about whether or not school uniforms are necessary. Some parents think that school uniforms should be enforced, as they feel it brings structure, safety, modesty and a lack of ridicule to our children. On the other hand, there are parents that argue that it takes away a child’s freedom of expression, independence, free spirit and individuality. Both of these arguments are valid, I hope to help give some insight into this subject, so that you can gather current and valid information.
In President Clinton’s State of the Union Address, he told the nation, “If it means our teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, and then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.” (Brunsma, Rockquemore). There are many people that support school uniforms, they say that uniforms give a child a sense of belonging, it can diminish economic and social barriers and it can make a child feel more respected.
Many feel that uniforms prevent fads, fashion and gang problems, a lot of these can be very dangerous for our children. We have gangs that come into our schools and bring drugs, guns, and other weapons into our schools. One in three children has access to a gun every day. When gangs come into our schools they generally hide their weapons, drugs in their baggy clothes; while there are others that do not wear enough clothing. Regardless of the way you dress, there will always be an argument over who has the next best thing? Schools try to enforce dress codes, but everyone has a different opinion of what is appropriate and what is not, or the teacher’s just do not care anymore, which is sad, they should enjoy thei...
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...their classrooms and the respect each other.
References:
Brunsma, David L; Rockquemore, Kerry Ann. “Statistics, sound bites, and school uniforms: A reply to Bodine.” Journal of Educational Research (Nov.-Dec. 2003). (vol.97, Iss 2)pg 72-77.6p.
Constitutional Law- Free Speech Fifth Circuit upholds Texas School Districts Dress Code under scrutiny.- Palmer ex rel. Palmer v. Waxahachie Independent School District, 579 F.3d 520 (5th cir. 2009). Cert. denied, 130 s. ct. 1055 (2010).
Konheim-Kalkstein,Yasmine L.”A Uniform Look.” American School Board Journal. Aug 2006, Vol. 193 Issue 8, p25-27. 3p.
Vlandero, Debra. “Uniform Effect: school cite benefits of student uniforms, but researchers see effectiveness.” Education week. Jan. 11, 2005:27-29.
Walmsey, Angela . “What the United Kingdom can teach the United States about school uniforms.” Kappan Magazine V92 N6 (pg. 63).
"’School uniforms are one step that may help break the cycle of violence, truancy and disorder by helping young students understand what really counts is what kind of people they are,’ President Clinton said. It didn 't take much more than this presidential nod of approval to get the uniform ball rolling in many school districts across the country” (Bowen). Are school uniforms really the answer to the public schools’ problems? Although having a school uniform policy is mostly beneficial to schools, there are some drawbacks to having one. While uniforms provide less cost to the parent and less chance of bullying in schools, they also limit a student’s freedom of expression and can decrease the student’s comfort level.
As many parents believe that the protection of students is weakened by wearing uniforms.For example if an emergency or critical situations occurred like earthquakes,tornadoes,fires or terrorist attack this will be hard for them to know their children from the middle of many students because everyone is wearing the same uniform.Although crisis can happen and parents couldn't find their children because everyone is dressed the same but they wouldn't also find them even if they donot wear it .The uniform isn't the problem because you can identify your child from many people no matter what they wear you can always tell the difference between your children and the other students.Some people beli...
There have been a lot of people in the United States debating on whether or not wearing school uniforms since centuries ago. In the United States, most public schools do not require to wear uniforms. However, students are required to wear uniforms in private schools. While in most of the countries, either in a public or private school, require to wear uniforms. They even have summer and winter uniforms according to the weather. There are some pros and cons of wearing uniforms. Most of the people think that wearing uniforms can help student decrease the rate of gang activity, and behave well in school. However, some of the parents think that wearing the uniform do not have their children’s individual rights. Some of the students think it suffocated to wear the uniforms. The down-sides are the expenses of buying uniforms for poor people, and violating freedom of expression. However, the students should wear school uniform because it helps prevent gangs from forming on campus, encourage discipline, improve the learning skills.
“The Manual on School Uniforms”, printed and issued by the United States Department of Education, noted that Long Beach, California, reported a decrease in crime, fights, sex offenses, weapons offenses, and vandalism after they adopted their uniform policy (4). Contrary to government findings, The National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 discovered that school uniforms have had no real effects on behavior, drug abuse or attendance; furthermore they also came to find that uniforms actually have negative effects on the academic achievement of the students (Brunsma and Rockquemore 54). If school A is emphasizing that school uniforms are conducive to the learning environment, yet school B down the road has higher testing scores but no uniform policy, then their stand is no longer valid. This proves that uniforms have no effect on the learning process.
There is a controversial issue on whether public schools should be required to wear school uniforms. I believe that public schools should wear uniforms because it helps students focus on their studies rather than other students.
In society today, school-age children are under tremendous pressure to fit in with their peers and still perform well academically. I believe that school uniforms at pre-K through high school levels are an excellent way to help children succeed not only in school, but to prepare them for college and the “real world.” Three reasons why I believe school uniforms should be used in all schools is first, they are economic, next, they reduce distractions and finally, they help with social equality. To begin, school uniforms are economic. When schools have a uniform policy, it makes it easier on the children and parents.
A major reason that schools should have uniforms is because students will get along better. They wouldn’t compare each other based on whose wearing what. This is opposed to a school with no uniform some students will feel inferior to the one’s wearing brand name clothes. Also uniforms lower the chances of jealousy between the students. The students would feel more unified with each other. Further more school uniforms can alleviate school violence, because it will help kids with less money escape the teasing they would get if the school had no uniforms. Also uniforms will help differentiate students from gan...
Magazines and other media sources have converted teens’ priorities from their dedication to acquire knowledge into obsession over the latest trends. To combat this, educational institutions have begun to patrol the way the students dress. However, with the copious amounts of apparel available, it is impossible for teachers to govern each student’s attire using identical standards. In addition, personal judgement and perspective from teacher to teacher varies, perpetuating inequality amongst students. The solution to this problem is simple: replace strict dress codes with those that require consistent appearances. Uniforms allow students to focus on learning while promoting safety and professionalism, along with aiding each household economically.
"Will School Uniforms Crube Student Violence." Inspire. Johnson Publishing, 1 Apr. 1996. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. (Will school)
At the beginning of the 20th century almost no parent or faculty had any concerns with how students dressed to attend school. Nowadays, though, this is a giant concern among students, parents, and school board officials. Many arguments have been made over the matter saying uniforms should be required and enforced in schools. But, uniforms should not be required as they ultimately eliminate freedom of expression, promote conformity over individuality, may have a detrimental effect on students self image, emphasize the socioeconomic divisions they are supposed to eliminate, and lastly, school uniforms in public schools undermine the promise of a free education by adding an extra expense for families.
Should school uniforms be required? Some say that uniforms help students focus on academics instead of fashion. Others believe that students should have the freedom to choose what they wear to school in order to express their differences and their uniqueness. After considering both sides of the issue, I strongly believe that uniforms should be introduced in primary public and private schools. Wearing school uniforms does not promote unfair comparisons between student’s incomes in terms of clothing; they aid students in developing their inner qualities instead of focusing on the outer aspects of themselves in the crucial earlier years of their lives, and provides a platform for practicing discipline.
Worrying more about others, rather than themselves, students pay more attention to the appearance of their peers instead of their academics. To begin, if school uniforms became apart of the school policy, students’ academics would improve phenomenally. Hanley noted that “The reason for the policy [was] to further improve ascending test scores and provide a safe, comfortable learning environment” (A1+). Clearly, school administrators wanted to improve test scores, and they figured if students dressed the same, then they would have no other choice but to focus on their school work. If the students can concentrate on their school work, then they will have high self- esteem. Furthermore, Valdez believes that school uniforms, positively, will change student academics: “… [they] decrease self consciousness and increase self esteem...” (14). Reasonable and realistic, students who feel better about themselves will succeed in school rather than those who have poor self-esteem. Not only do school uniforms encourage students to have a better attitude about themselves, but they also change the environment in which students learn....
A uniform is a standard set of clothes that is worn by a group of people. These people may be members of an organization or a group of people having the same ideas. There are thousands of kinds of uniforms in the world worn by people, such as police officers, firefighters, doctors, lawyers, security guards, and even fast-food restaurant workers. School uniforms are a controversial issue in schools today. Many schools have already adopted a policy mandating school uniforms, while many more are still considering the change. School uniforms create an atmosphere of equality in which the students are able to achieve to their best, while attaining the most out of their education. School uniforms should be mandatory to unite the school community as one, to instil discipline among the student body, and to eliminate distractions that will help students focus more, which in turn will help our society.
All individuals struggle with discovering who they are and who they may want to be in the future. School environment, either negatively or positively, impacts the result of this greatly. Uniforms in the learning environment have become a highly debated subject all across the country. Although some individuals believe school uniforms have a positive affect, those people should understand the negatives because uniforms promote appearance over character, lower student’s self-esteem, and conflict with the right of expression.
students to wear uniforms or not. I have weighed the pros-and-cons, and although I can see a few drawbacks, ultimately, I support the idea. While I’ve considered the notion that uniforms may restrict our student’s individuality, undermine the whole “free education” idea, and might also be viewed as a band-aid solution to a few of the larger concerns our public schools face, however I strongly maintain that there are far more advantages than disadvantages. The U.S. Departments of Education’s Manual on School Uniforms states “Uniforms by themselves cannot solve all of the problems of school discipline, but they can be one positive contributing factor