School Uniforms: A Good or Bad Idea - Essay Example

 School Uniforms: A Good Idea A growing trend throughout the country in the last decade or so has been for a larger number of public school districts to implement either a very firm dress code or a uniform policy. Uniform policies are usually preferred by the majority of school districts because there is less opportunity for question and many benefits to the school and students in many ways. Schools benefit in areas of authority and security when all of the students follow the same dress pattern. Students profit by lessening the number of concerns they have to deal with during school hours, freeing them to focus more on the scholastic issues they should be concerned about while attending classes. There is a long history of the use of uniforms in school, most coming from the private sector until recent years, all of which demonstrate these benefits do exist. While most of the uniform policies used in public schools include relatively general restrictions, such as navy or khaki pants and solid color shirts with collars without brand name requirements or specific, school-related insignia required, there has still been a great opposition to these policies by people who mistakenly insist that school uniform policies somehow restrict a child’s ability to express him or herself. Examining the history of the use of school uniforms in public schools in this country reveals that requiring school uniforms provides a number of advantages that outweigh any arguments against them. The idea of requiring students to wear uniforms is nothing new and has been used for at least a century to help foster a sense of academia and respect for oneself within the school setting. When President Clinton said “I believe we should give strong support to school districts that decide to require young students to wear school uniforms”, he had based his opinion on a history of school uniforms having a calming effect on students (cited in Weitzel, 2004: 10). In England, school uniforms had been used for years both to distinguish those children who were part of the lower classes, attending schools that provided their uniform clothing for them, and to distinguish those children who were of the decidedly upper class as a badge of honor and social placement. “As can be seen in the history of the school uniform, such requirements of standardized dress also include a symbolic rhetoric of legitimate authority, a reservoir of institutional and organizational values of the school, and a method of social and cultural control over cohorts of students moving through the system. Those without a uniform would feel left out” (Brunsma, 2004: 6). By including students in a recognized group as a member of a particular student body, uniforms are successful in building a sense of community and cooperation among children who might not otherwise work together. At the same time, regulations requiring specific items of clothing such as a ‘red or white solid colored shirt with collar’ serve to ensure that there are a large number of people in the market for these items, driving the price down as they become produced in mass quantities. Children who outgrow their uniforms are also able to donate them for children who can’t afford them, proving that the English use of the uniform as a means of cutting costs can be effective. There are a number of studies of the use of uniform use that indicate perception of the uniform, from both an internal and external standpoint, can have a significant effect on the individual’s identity. Internal factors can include the individual’s perception of the self as well as the individual perception of how others perceive the individual. External factors can include the group’s perception of the individual as well as the group’s perception of the ideal. Uniforms are shown to provide the individual with a sense of belonging to a larger group, a sense of authority, an idea of specific moral and ethical standards to be adhered to and a sense of direction or purpose in their occupation. At the same time, they are shown to convey these same concepts to the external crowd, instantly identifying the individual in uniform with these attributes and behaving toward them accordingly. In being recognized as one of the uniformed group by the members of the crowd, the individual in uniform is thus reinforced in their perception of identity based upon the uniform itself, becoming more likely to behave in keeping with these ideals and the cycle spins forward. (Brunsma, 2004) Studies into fashion and self-expression have proven that there is a direct link between the way we feel about ourselves and the type of clothing we wear. “With fashion and dress adapting to represent the ever-changing self, fashion therefore serves as a vehicle for establishing identity and self-concept” (Weitzel, 2004: 12). Thus, regardless of the type of clothing we wear, we are always making a statement about who we are and what we wish to be associated with. Parents often argue against the concept of school uniforms because they say these types of requirements prevent students from expressing themselves. Beyond questioning whether we really want our students associating themselves through dress with gangsters and the emotionally unstable, it must be remembered that there are a number of jobs in the ‘real’ world that also require a standardized uniform, sometimes much more rigidly defined than the school systems. “Police officers, firemen, airline employees, nurses, doctors, lawyers and all branches of the military have some form of required dress. Most of our blue collar workers are also required to wear a uniform in the performing of their jobs … It makes them a part of a team that performs a certain job in a certain manner and provides for a more cohesive work environment” (Messer, 2008: 2). In the same way this process works for adults, making them a part of a team and encouraging a work environment attitude and approach, requiring uniforms in school also works for students, encouraging them to shift their thinking during school hours to school matters, in keeping with the seriousness of their clothing and that of their peers. Factories, in order to keep track of their employees and to pay them appropriately, artificially divided the daytime into shifts, including the day shift, night shift and graveyard shift. Through the use of this convention, factory workers began identifying themselves as a part of a crowd rather than an individual being. Requiring students in public school to wear uniforms is also a tremendous support for the school system. One of the immediate benefits is that a required student dress code makes any individual not in uniform instantly identifiable by staff, making it much easier for teachers and administrators to identify non-students/staff on campus and confine them until their purpose is clear. In addition, uniforms enable the school to restrict clothing with potential to conceal weapons, an increasing issue in today’s school systems nationwide. “Like other urban school uniform policies, Long Beach’s was intended to curb gang problems, and school officials not only credit it with having accomplished that goal, but also say uniforms have brought about a substantial drop in school crime, a drop in school suspensions and disciplinary problems and improved student attendance rates and academics” (White, 2000). In addition, with everyone dressed the same, there is a marked decrease in the antagonism expressed between students based on clothing issues. Cliques are slower to form, students are more willing to work with each other in the classroom and there is a general tendency to begin appreciating others for what they are on the inside rather than how they appear on the outside. As a result of the decreased antagonism and fewer hiding places for weaponry, the school is a more peaceful place and teachers are facilitated in protecting and instructing students during the day. While there will probably always be those who argue against the implementation of a uniform policy within the school system, it cannot be denied that requiring students to wear uniforms to school is a wise decision. History has taught us that the use of school uniforms can be both a source of pride and community involvement among the psyche of the students. They feel they are a part of something larger than themselves and something that can be respected regardless of any adverse home conditions. This helps to foster a sense of seriousness in the same way that uniforms or dress codes function in the working environment to convey a sense of purpose. Students are able to focus on their studies and to consider academics as a more important activity than hanging around the mall. Finally, uniforms in schools provide significant security improvements to the school. Uniforms don’t provide the many hiding places for weaponry that the baggy clothes of today’s fashions provide and make non-students immediately visible by their lack of compliance with requirements. These benefits far outweigh the weak complaint that somehow a uniform prevents a child from expressing their individuality. Works Cited Brunsma, David L. The School Uniform Movement and what it tells us about American Education. Boston: Rowman & Littlefield, (2004). Messer, Joy. “School Uniforms and Dress Codes – Do They Help?” Associated Content. Vol. 195, (August 12, 2008). Weitzel, Brian Thomas. School Uniforms: An Empirical Analysis and Observational Study of the Implications in Public Schools. Kalamazoo College, (Winter 2004). White, Kerry A. “Do School Uniforms Fit?” The School Administrator. American Association of School Administrators, (February 2000). Read More