School Uniforms Essay PDF

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School Uniforms Yay or nay!?...

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Dress for success

Ashley N. Green College of Education, Grand Canyon University EDU 330: Social Justice for Educators Kate Flavell April 11, 2021

2 Dress for Success Do forcing school uniforms on our students make them better people? Can they change student behavior and learning style? School uniforms were first recorded in 1222, and since then they have only been seen in private school settings until more recently when more studies have shown a decrease in gang affiliated activities and higher test scores when the school switched to uniforms vs. a dress code. Uniforms can help with identifying trespassers on campus, but they can also take away the expression of creativity children need when trying to find themselves. Controversial issue and cultural identifiers Schools requiring claim uniforms can help decrease students participating in gang affiliations. Also, can help improve students’ academic success and learning style. School uniforms can help students stay focused on their schoolwork and promote school pride. School uniforms can take away the students’ rights for freedom of expression. (Chen, 2020) Most people do not have a direct connection with school uniforms, because they attended a school where it was not mandatory. Instead of promoting social justice, when students are not allowed to express themselves this can promote conformity, sending a message that everyone should look the same. (Seigel, 2019) Social justice has taught us that everyone is different and unique in their own ways. Historical background In 1222, the Archbishop of Canterbury required students to wear “Cappa Clausa”- a cape that closed in the front. In the 16th century school uniforms were spotted in the education system at the London Christ Hospital in 1552. (Bakke, 2021) A milestone event happened during the Vietnam war, in 1969, when the Des Moines Independent school district warned the students that they could not wear black arm bands to school. The students took their protest to the Supreme

3 court and won a 7-2 ruling that the arm band was not disruptive in the classroom and were allowed to continue to wear them. (Tinker v. Des Moines Independent school district, Supreme court, 1969) More public schools have now adopted the school uniform policy as of today. Like in 1994, the school district of California Long Beach Unified School, required students to wear school uniforms. This was the largest public school to achieve great results. (Chittom & Ginsburg, 2018) President Bill Clinton advocated this issue during his State of Union Speech, in 1996 resulting in about 25% of public schools adopted the uniform system or considered it two years later. (Bakke, 2021) He also handed out a manual “Manual on School Uniforms” with information about the benefits of having school uniforms in our public education system and left it up to the schools to decide. More recently, in 2019 a federal judge ruled in favor of girls from North Carolina, saying that the policy cannot enforce sex or gender stereotypes. (Mervosh, 2019) Summary of the controversial issue in K-12 education context School uniforms continue to be a controversial subject, even with more schools starting to require them. From 1999 to 2019 the public schools have increased from 12 percent to 20 percent. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019) The United States does not have a standardized culture like most other countries do on wearing school uniforms. Mostly private schools implement school uniforms. More schools are considering changing to school uniforms if studies show more decrease in violence and increase in academic performance. Summarize the current opinions for and against the controversial issue Many people will argue that school uniforms can help students with their academic success and can promote school pride. They help keep the distractions minimal so students can

4 focus on their studies and not worry about what to wear to school every day. (Chen, 2020) Wearing a school uniform reduces the chances of having weapons, drugs, and other paraphernalia into the school. Students would not be able to wear baggy clothes to hide such items. This would also discourage students from wearing gang or inappropriate content that may cause an issue with another student or teacher. (Chittom & Ginsburg, 2018) School uniforms can help school officials to easily identify guest that do not belong campus. Others will argue that the school uniform is just a band-aid to cover up actual school violence issues. Making students wear the same clothes will not stop someone from bullying another. Students could still be bullied if they have an exception for not wearing the uniform, i.e. religious or cultural reasons. (Siegel, 2019) Mandatory uniform status would be against the students' freedom of expression. It discourages children to develop into their own personalities at a young age, what they choose to wear daily is how they define themselves with their own creativity. (Chen, 2020) How teachers and students are affected This will add to the teachers list of demands each day, making sure to enforce the rule that every student is wearing the proper attire for school. Schools have reportedly shown improvement when teachers are enforcing the policies. (Donnelly, 2020) This can affect teacher and student relationships. Behavior issues and violence would decrease, then test scores and graduation rates will go up. (Chen, 2020) Some uniforms can be discriminatory towards certain cultures and religions. Schools would be forced to make a student choose between their education or religion or culture. Students might also bully another because they were given an exception to not wear the uniform. (Seigel, 2019) Walden Middle School, Principal Alicia Oden,

5 stated "If we expect students to come in uniform every day, then we should too," she said. "We want to be a model for our children. And they do watch us." (Glanton, 1999) Administrators are considering for ways to help keep the classrooms safe, and they have found that the teachers dress codes is an option that can help enhance the learning experience and build a relationship between the students and teachers. It also can send a message that the teachers support the dress code. (Glanton, 1999) This will help with the teacher and student connection. Related policies or methods Most public schools in the U.S. do not follow a school uniform policy, they require and maintain a dress-code policy for students and faculty. Dress codes are put in place to help reduce any offensive behavior or content and increase the focus on learning. Dress codes also include personal hygiene requirements. (Chittom & Ginsburg, 2018) Researchers from University of Nevada, Reno College of Education explored three middle schools in Washoe County School District. They discovered that 90 percent of the students did not like wearing uniforms but confessed that there were fewer gang involvement and bullying. (Research & Innovation, 2013) This paper discussed the history on uniforms, the present situation, and the increase on public school participation. Most schools still are in debate on whether they should require students to wear school uniforms. There has been some studies that have proven that school uniforms can help decrease crime and allow for a safer school environment, but is that enough for the schools to start requiring them to force a school uniform policy? This can be a struggle for students of different cultural backgrounds, that their beliefs do not coincide with the uniform, thus giving them an exception, which can anger other students and resulting in more bullying behavior.

6 References

Bakke, A. (2021). The history of school uniforms. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.history-a2z.com/the-history-of-school-uniforms/ Donnelly, M. (2020). Dress codes and uniforms in public schools. Research Starters: Education. 9p. Chen, G. (2020). Uniforms: The pros and cons. Public School Review. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/uniforms-the-pros-and-cons Chittom, L. & Ginsburg, J. (2018). School uniform debate. Salem Press Encyclopedia. 3p. Glanton, D. (1999), In some schools, uniforms extend to heads of the class. Chicago Tribune. Mervosh, S. (2019). Girls at North Carolina school do not have to wear skirts, judge rules. The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/31/us/school-uniform-unconstitutional.html

Research & Innovation, (2013). College of education researchers conduct study on impacts of school uniforms. Nevada Today.

Seigel, R. (2019). School Uniforms. Weigl Publishers. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from Google Scholars. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent school district, Supreme court, 1969 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2019....