My+Notes++How+do+uniforms+most+benefit+low+income+famalies?Ellie+Krienke

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NELS:88 classifies data by **//school//** sector: all **//schools//**, public **//schools//**, Catholic **//schools//**, and three types of private-but-not-Catholic**//schools//**, as shown in Table 1, extracted from Brunsma and Rockquemore's Table 1, and modified by inclusion of weighted distribution for omitted category--public **//schools//**. On the basis of a correlation matrix (Brunsma & Rockquemore, 1998, Appendix C), the authors stated, "Student **//uniforms//** are correlated slightly (.05) with standardized **//achievement//** scores, indicating a possible relationship" (p. 56). Next, they presented test score means: 52.89 for uniformed versus 50.58 for nonuniformed students and, using a t test, showed the 2.31-point difference significant at .01. Thus, Brunsma and Rockquemore (1998) found that uniformed students have significantly higher test scores than do nonuniformed students. How, then, did they arrive at their claim of "negative effect of **//uniforms//** on student **//academic//** **//achievement//**?" The answer lies in misleading use of sector analysis. It is so unusual to find public **//school//** policy argued from data on a **//school//** sector that shows the opposite tendency, that it is worth examining the structure of their argument in detail. Similarly, in 1932, the principal of the Muncie, Indiana, high **//school//** proposed **//uniforms//** in the name of "eliminating class distinctions in high**//school//** and placing the poor on an equal footing with the rich" (Lynd & Lynd, 1937, pp. 445-446). In the 1920s, an ethnographic study of Muncie (Lynd & Lynd, 1957, 1929, p. 162-165) reported that lack of desirable clothes caused some Muncie students to drop out of **//school//**, and economically struggling Muncie parents paid more for **//school//** clothes than they could afford because clothing was a status marker at**//school//**. Thus, early discourse on **//uniforms//** in U.S. public **//schools//** focused on their leveling effect, whereas common dress was also advocated for simplicity, practicality, and frugality. Reflecting changes in social climate, the egalitarian theme has been muted in post-1980 public discourse on **//school//** **//uniforms//**, although "leveling the playing field for kids" remains the predominant theme of private discourse in some communities (Bodine, 2003a). In post-1980 research and policy discourse, relations of **//school//** clothes to social equity has been replaced by relations of**//school//** clothes to gangs and violence, **//school//** safety, **//school//** climate, shoplifting, peer pressure, family stress, self-expression, esprit de corps, individual versus community needs and rights, truancy, competitive dressing, and commercial influences on the young (Bodine; King, 1998; Murray, 1997; Posner, 1996; Stanley, 1996; Stevenson & Chun, 1991; U.S. Department of Education, 1996; Woods & Ogletree, 1992).

Some schools see **//uniforms//** as a way to reduce the economic competition among students.**//Uniforms//** enable schools to set limits that many parents are reluctant to impose--saying "no" to $150 athletic shoes and jackets, for example.

Brunsma and Rockquemore (2001), however, eontend that in the Catholic education school literature, uniforms are not advocated as being signifi- eant in ereating the "Catholic sehool effeet." Rather, they make a eontri- bution toward the overall effeet via leveling the playing field for mutual respeet of all students since more privileged students are not as easily identified by their elothing or aeeessories.

Connected Topics/Uses
Uniforms prevent competative dressing. Pressures to wear trendy clothes give families a hard time paying for expensive clothes, and enough of them, to wear to school everyday. Uniforms prevent school from being a fashion show, and test scores show that students with uniforms have higher success.