Alex+Charland

=My Notes=

=Link:= http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=108&sid=06a246c8-7068-4b5e-bd65-4d63a85e07b5%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=keh&AN=24170870#db=keh&AN=24170870

Arguments against uniforms inelude the potential of infringements on first amendment rights, administrative power abuse, economic hardships for parents, non-deterrence of gang activity, no effect on social class differentiation, and lack of empirical research showing effective outcomes for school uniform policies.

Ellen says: "It [uniforms] really hasn't impacted it. If you're into academies and make good grades, you're still going to do that no matter what you wear. And if you weren't into aeademies before, uniforms aren't going to ehange that either," Thomas states that he is oblivious with or without uniforms to extraneous stimuli: The only way that I ever paid attention to people in the elassroom was when they had a big spot on their pants or something. But I just worry about my studies in the elassroom and not really what everybody's wearing around me.

=Link:= http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/elibweb/elib/do/document?set=search&dictionaryClick=&secondaryNav=&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=1&edition=&ts=F837DFC91DAF834DF4687CF698DB7851_1272554070397&start=1&publicationId=&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B29407483

Researchers say there's very little hard evidence that uniforms improve students' behavior or academic success.

=Link:= http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/elibweb/elib/do/document?set=search&dictionaryClick=&secondaryNav=&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=1&edition=&ts=F837DFC91DAF834DF4687CF698DB7851_1272554752728&start=1&publicationId=&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B29889098

=Links:= Public: http://www.educationalgateway.com/advantages-disadvantages-public-school/index.html Private: http://www.educationalgateway.com/private-schools/index.html

The diversity landscape in a private school environment can be flat compared to that of public schools, because of the tuition. Children will meet fewer peers of diverse backgrounds and this can create a very insular atmosphere. But because public schools have more children per classroom, your child will likely be exposed to people from different socio-economic classes, which can broaden the educational experience.

First and foremost, a public school education is free. Students are exposed to more people from differing socio-economic backgrounds. This teaches children how to get along with one another regardless of differences, and can provide a more complete educational experience. In a public school, you will know what to expect in terms of curriculum and philosophy. All public schools adhere to state and federal regulatory standards and the curriculum and grading are standardized. If you prefer that your child's education be secular, public schools do not introduce theological or religious studies into curriculum. Although dropout and violence rates are generally higher in public schools, such statistics do not apply to all schools.

= Link: = http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/online_college_courses

Disadvantages of online college courses:

 * 1) **Discipline and time management skills are mandatory.** With few time constraints other than deadlines, online course students are fully responsible for sticking to their own schedule. If you are someone who procrastinates too much and has trouble managing your time, an online course may be a disaster for you.
 * 2) **Lack of direct interaction** **with the instructor**. Some students prefer this, or don't find it to be a problem. But many students thrive from face-to-face interaction and attention from professors and may not do well without that interaction.
 * 3) **Isolation from fellow students.** Some students love to sit in their jammies and chat with their classmates online and don't miss the classroom setting at all. Others find this environment to be very lonely. Ideally, classroom settings can become welcoming communities, and it's harder (although not impossible) to replicate that online. If you've been a member of online communities and enjoy this type of interaction, an online course might be for you. If this sounds unpleasant, though, you might be better off in a traditional classroom.
 * 4) **Credits may be difficult to transfer**. If you are planning to transfer your online course into an existing or future program of study, be very careful. Before taking the class, contact your school and get a definite answer about whether this class will transfer. Research online courses and degrees carefully! Make sure the course is from an accredited institution.
 * 5) **Access to and knowledge of technology is required.** You don't have to have a computer science background to take these classes, but you do need to be computer literate and comfortable with technology. You also need reliable access to a decent computer system and probably a high speed connection. (Contact the instructor ahead of time to find out exactly what you need.) If computers aren't your thing, maybe the traditional classroom would suit you better.

= Link: = http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/debate/index.asp?article=d100509

First and foremost, we believe that creating separate classes for girls and boys violates the Constitution as well as federal and state laws designed to guarantee that all public-school students are offered equal opportunities. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in //Brown// v. //Board of Education// that separate can never truly be equal in public education. The Court was referring to racial segregation, but the same holds true for gender segregation. Almost by definition, classrooms separated by sex offer different resources, different teaching methods, and other factors that create unequal learning environments. Beyond issues of constitutionality, single-sex classes aren't good for students. They reinforce gender stereotypes, like the idea that boys are assertive and outspoken, while girls are timid and quiet. Telling students that the best solution is to split up boys and girls, rather than have them learn to work together, sends the wrong message and does nothing to prepare students for the real world. One thing many single-sex programs do have going for them is that they are innovative and experimental. Everyone involved—from administrators and teachers to students and parents—is highly motivated to see them succeed. If this same level of energy, funding, and out-of-the-box thinking were applied to co-ed classrooms, all students could benefit. And at the same time, schools would be promoting cooperation rather than isolation. —**Kim Gandy** __**President, National Organization for Women <---**__

=Link:= http://www.examiner.com/x-9962-St-Louis-Telecommuting-Examiner~y2009m5d16-Online-education-challenges-isolation

By April Jagger:April has been designing and developing training materials for various organizations for more than 10 years. She has spent the past three years telecommuting. April obtained her BS in Business Administration from University of Phoenix, and her MBA from Grand Canyon University through online learning. The telecommuting for work and online education experience has provided April with a unique business and adult education outlook.

One of many challenges that online students have to deal with is the lack of face to face interaction with other students and their instructors. For those who attend school online full-time, this can lead to a feeling of isolation. There are no meetings with your classmates at the student center, or face to face study groups.

= __**Link:**__ = http://www.opposingviews.com/i/school-uniforms-are-inefficient-and-unnecessary

By an offshoot of the ACLU in Nevada


 * Four Reasons Public Schools Should Think Twice Before Instituting School Uniform Policies

Students Have Rights!**

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects every individual’s freedom of speech: his or her right to express artistic, religious, and political viewpoints. In the 1970’s, however, several high school students were disciplined for coming to school wearing black armbands protesting the Vietnam War. These students successfully took their free speech case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which famously noted in its Tinker opinion that students “do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate.” The Court set out a framework for dealing with students’ free speech rights in school: that students have a First Amendment right to express themselves so long as that expression is not disruptive to the school day.

Disruption is the right standard – it means that students are able to express themselves so long as lessons can continue uninterrupted. Clothing is precisely the type of passive, nondisruptive medium that allows students to share their thoughts without interfering with educational opportunities. Because students’ self-expression on clothing generally does not disrupt class, uniforms are an inefficient and unnecessary bureaucracy that requires school officials to be worried about what everyone is wearing. Instead, school officials should only be concerned with clothing that is actually disruptive – which both dress codes and simple common sense are more than adequate to handle.


 * Schools Should Teach Constitutional Values**

The Constitution is so important to our daily lives that we ask public officials – and in many states, public school teachers – to take an oath to uphold the Constitution as a requirement of holding an office of public trust. Our public schools are more than just an educational necessity – they are our one shot, as a society, at inculcating the most important American values for the future citizens and leaders of our country. And perhaps no value is more crucial, and more uniquely American, than diversity of thought and expression, as reflected in that empowering first guarantee the American people saw fit to include in our Bill of Rights: the protection of the fundamental freedoms of speech, religious thought, press, or assembly.

In conflict with the First Amendment, school uniform policies create instead an environment of sterilized uniformity scrubbed of the diversity so prized by our founding fathers. Perhaps more importantly, the façade of homogeneity in no way reflects the real world that students will enter immediately upon graduation from high school. In the real world, as in our democracy, there are conflicts of opinion in every conversation. There are messages – commercial, political, religious – shouted from every street corner and billboard. And there are beliefs and passions of every stripe. Our First Amendment encourages and protects individual expression and ensures conflict and disagreement. No one has ever said the First Amendment is easy or neat – on the contrary, it produces a glorious and legally-protected cacophony of ideas unthinkable in almost every other country worldwide. But the complicated nature of the First Amendment does not at all mean that we shy away from imparting its spirit to each and every student. Instead, our schools should embrace the First Amendment as a legacy of freedom that each student has the honor and duty to uphold. Forcing students to dress and look alike flies in the face of the diversity of thought and rugged individualism that are the bedrock of our nation and our Constitution.


 * School Uniforms Eliminate a Crucial Form of Self-Expression**

Unlike a street corner, a sidewalk, or a public park, the school setting does not offer many opportunities for self-expression that do not disrupt the school day. Generally, students cannot freely post or distribute literature without school officials’ permission. Sandwich boards clog the hallways, rushed conversations must end when the bell rings, and bullhorns are pretty much out of the question. Students are left with one blank canvas on which to paint their thoughts, emotions, and politics – their clothes. Whether a student chooses a religious tee-shirt, a campaign button, an all-black ensemble, or a tuxedo, he or she is sending a distinct message. Unlike a bullhorn, this message is silent and passive. Clothing subtly informs the observer who a student is, or wants to be seen as, individually.

School officials are likely to argue that school is exclusively for learning, and that self-expression is for after-school hours. But the two simply aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, the differences among student outfits are fertile grounds for identifying their likes and dislikes, figuring out if they identify as “goth” or “preppy,” tracking changes in hygiene or dress that may reflect a student’s psychological state, and showcasing the breadth of choice and diversity among young people. These are tools that teachers and other students can use to increase the educational experience, by getting to know students as fully-formed individuals, and talking about divergent socioeconomic and cultural norms. Furthermore, allowing students to choose their clothing is an empowering message from the schools that a student is a maturing person who is entitled to the most basic self-determination. In a freer learning environment, students begin with a sense of self-worth – rather than as identical captives without options. Giving kids a choice to express themselves not only acknowledges their individuality but creates the possibility for a relationship of mutual respect. So long as this parade of choices does not interrupt the school day, schools should be interested in nurturing, rather than standardizing, student expression.


 * School Uniforms are Ineffective**

The effectiveness of school uniforms is the subject of a raging debate, and school officials routinely claim that their own positive experiences justify the imposition of uniforms. However, such anecdotal certainty is not borne out in the largest empirical, controlled study that has been done. This 1998 study completed at Notre Dame University examined the effect of school uniforms on “attendance, disciplinary behavior problems, substance abuse, and academic achievement.” The two authors, professors of sociology, debunked prior reports of uniforms’ effectiveness as anecdotal. More importantly, they found that teachers’ perceptions of their students once in uniform changed greatly, and that they viewed uniformed students as better-behaved, smarter, and more successful. This perception, however, was only in the minds of the teachers – statistically, the researchers found that student uniforms had no positive statistical correlation with absenteeism, drug use, attitudes toward school, or student achievement. Strikingly, the authors found only one statistically significant correlation – a negative effect on student achievement by tenth graders forced to wear uniforms.

This finding implies that some students, when forced into a standardized uniform, are negatively impacted to the point that their school work suffers. Overall, what the study shows is that while school teachers and administrators are often convinced of the effectiveness of uniforms, such an impression is the result of their own prejudices rather than actual changes in behavior. Perhaps, then, the correct solution is to work on correcting administrators’ clothing-based bias, not reducing students’ rights in order to compensate for the socioeconomic assumptions of the generations above them.

=Link:= http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/studentexpression/topic.aspx?topic=clothing_dress_codes_uniforms

Opponents counter that such measures suppress student individuality and personal freedom. They argue that students could become alienated if school officials close off one of their few avenues of self-identification and expression. They also question whether restrictive dress codes really make schools safer. Many parents argue that these restrictive policies also infringe on the parents’ freedom in rearing their children.

Ironically, both opponents and proponents of student dress codes point to the same U.S. Supreme Court ruling to support their positions — //[|Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District]// (1969). In this famous decision, the Court ruled 7-2 that public school officials could not censor student expression — the wearing of black armbands, in that case — unless they could reasonably forecast that the student expression would cause substantial disruption or material interference with school activities or would invade the rights of others.

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