Marianne+Mugambi

[|School uniforms]

School uniforms, proponents have said, can lead to improved discipline and classroom behavior, increased school attendance, respect for teachers, better school performance, higher student selfesteem and confidence, lower clothing costs, promotion of group spirit, reduction in social stratification, and lower rates of violence and crime. Uniforms, in short, seem like the solution to all of education’s problems. In 1986, Baltimore’s Cherry Hill Elementary School became the first U.S. public school to adopt a school uniform policy. reported increased attendance, reduced suspensions, less frequent fighting, increased test scores, and improved school performance after students began wearing uniforms. A similar success story was reported when, in 1995, Long Beach, Calif., became the first large urban school district to require uniforms for all students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Five years later, overall crime in the school district had dropped by 91 percent. Suspensions were down 90 percent, sex offenses had been reduced by 96 percent, and vandalism had gone down 69 percent. Proponents suggest that school uniforms can reduce violence in schools by diminishing gang influence and easing competition over clothing as a source of conflict. In fact, gang violence is one of the most influential reasons for adopting uniform policies. In urban schools, fash ion trends are often characterized by gang-related clothing. In theory, then, school uniforms would prevent gang activity by not allowing students to wear gang colors or gang insignia. And in practice, there is some evidence that this is true. Clothing has caused other school conflicts as well. After introducing uniforms, the Birmingham, Ala. schools reported a drop in weapon and drug incidents, and Houston schools noted a decrease in violent crime. And indeed, there is some evidence that school uniforms may improve a school’s environment by reducing competition, improving student self-esteem, and improving academic achievement. Writing in the // NASSP Bulletin // in 1997, Richard Murray reported on the results of a survey of 306 middle school students in Charleston, S.C. Murray found that students in a middle school with a uniform policy had a significantly better perception of their school’s climate than did students in a school without a uniform policy. A school with a uniform policy reported higher attendance, self-esteem, and academic scores.

Winston Tucker, a University of Minnesota researcher, investigated the perceptions of St. Paul teachers in 1999. He found that in schools where uniforms were worn, teachers perceived more positive behavior and peer interactions. They also reported fewer cliques, less teasing, and better self-esteem. For example, a 1998 study by David Brunsma and Kerry Rockquemore, published in //The Journal of Educational Research//, refuted the belief that uniforms will result in higher test scores. Parents find that buying two or three //**uniforms**// is ultimately cheaper than buying clothes to follow the fads, and it stops arguments at home about what Johnny or Mary will wear to //**school**// on this day or that. //**Uniforms**// "level" the student body because one cannot tell the "haves" from the "have nots." Discipline improved drastically--fewer fights. Kids were not worrying about how they looked. They were on task 90 percent of the time. By the end of that year, the student body as a whole had jumped two grades, from Cs to As, Ds to Bs. While kids say they hate //**uniforms **//, they can hardly wait to join some //**school **// group that wears one: ROTC, spirit club, band. They seek pins, necklaces, sashes, jackets--all //**uniforms **//--that state something about the person and identify them as "belonging to...." //**Uniforms **// build //**school **// spirit because they foster this sense of belonging. They enhance //**school **// loyalty and pride since the students are recognized wherever they go in the uniform as belonging to that particular //**school **//. They represent their whole student body. Individualism does not depend on your hairdo or your dress, but upon your spirit, your personality, and your self-discipline. We are in real trouble if we depend on our mode of dress to express our individuality. When we adopt //**uniforms **//, we send a clear message: //**School **// is for learning, not showing off.

[|School uniforms and more.] Parents find that buying two or three //**uniforms**// is ultimately cheaper than buying clothes to follow the fads, and it stops arguments at home about what Johnny or Mary will wear to //**school**// on this day or that. //**Uniforms**// "level" the student body because one cannot tell the "haves" from the "have nots."Discipline improved drastically--fewer fights. Kids were not worrying about how they looked. They were on task 90 percent of the time. By the end of that year, the student body as a whole had jumped two grades, from Cs to As, Ds to Bs. While kids say they hate //**uniforms **//, they can hardly wait to join some //**school **// group that wears one: ROTC, spirit club, band. They seek pins, necklaces, sashes, jackets--all //**<span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">uniforms **//--that state something about the person and identify them as "belonging to...." //**<span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">Uniforms **//<span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';"> build //**<span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">school **// spirit because they foster this sense of belonging. They enhance //**<span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">school **// loyalty and pride since the students are recognized wherever they go in the uniform as belonging to that particular //**<span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">school **//. They represent their whole student body. Individualism does not depend on your hairdo or your dress, but upon your spirit, your personality, and your self-discipline. We are in real trouble if we depend on our mode of dress to express our individuality.When we adopt //**<span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">uniforms **//, we send a clear message: //**<span style="font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">School **// is for learning, not showing off.

[|School uniforms #2] [|School uniforms #3] In Texas, for instance, 18 parents have sued a suburban Dallas **//school//** district, challenging the constitutionality of **//uniforms//** in public schools. In Waterbury, Conn., students who were suspended or expelled for breaking a dress code claim the code violates their civil rights and right to a free public education. But Waterbury Mayor Philip Giordano defended the policy, saying it has reduced distractions and disciplinary problems in class. Cities like New York and Philadelphia have recently mandated **//uniforms//** for just such reasons. In fact, crime and fighting has dropped in schools where kids wear **//uniforms//**. More than two-thirds of principals at middle and elementary schools with **//uniforms//** also saw improvement in their students' concentration on work, according to a recent survey by Land's End (which is a uniform supplier) and the National Association of Elementary **//School//** Principals. Also emerging is a shift in style toward a less-formal look: Students can wear pants or shorts with polo shirts.

[|School uniforms #4]