Are School Uniforms a Good or Bad Idea? The debate, are school

Are School Uniforms a Good or Bad Idea?
The debate, are school uniforms good or bad, has adolescents raising their voices against conformity, and
teachers and many parents, singing praises for the uniform. This article illustrates both sides of the coin, so
evaluate the reasons why are school uniforms a good or a bad idea, before you make up your mind.
Pros and cons of school uniforms
"If it means that the school rooms will be more orderly and more disciplined, and that our young people
will learn to evaluate themselves by what they are on the inside, instead of what they're wearing on the
outside, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms." - Bill Clinton,
former President of the United States, Long Beach, CA
Pros of a School Uniform
If you are looking for an answer to 'why are school uniforms a good idea', or need to convince someone
about it, these points present a good argument:
✔ School uniforms spare kids and their parents of the time-consuming, troublesome ordeal of picking out a
set of clothes every day. During the rushed morning hours before school, picking out the right set of
clothes, especially for girls, can take up a lot of time. Many kids would be happy to be rid of the hassle, and
they can save their 'good' stuff for outings and weekends.
✔ Among the reasons why school uniforms are a good idea, the most strongly stated one is that they
promote equality. Distinctions made on the basis of economic status are reduced. With everyone dressed
alike, there is a hope that kids will judge others based on character instead of the clothes they wear.
✔ School uniforms can save parents a lot of money as they then only need to buy their kids casual clothes to
wear on the weekends. Otherwise, parents need to constantly replenish their child's wardrobe with the latest
fashions, which can be very expensive. They would need to provide clothes for 5 days of every week plus
weekends, sports and club activities. This can be economically taxing for parents, and the constant demand
for new clothes will be very stressful. Uniforms are a special money saver during the growing years, when
kids outgrow their clothes every few months.
✔ While bullying may not stop, use of uniform at least prevents students who aren't dressed fashionably or
according to the latest trends, from getting picked on for their choice of clothes.
✔ It prepares children for working life where they often need to wear uniforms, or at the least dress
conservatively or follow a dress code. Also, the purpose of attending school is to learn, and anything (such
as clothes) that take away from that goal, needs to be discouraged.
✔ Casual dressing leaves school administrators with the complex task of setting a dress code as well as
monitoring students' apparel. They need to check inappropriate clothing such as strapless, halter, and
midriff baring tops and too-short skirts and shorts. They also need to keep an eye out for inappropriate
insignia on the clothes, such as slogans for alcohol and cigarettes, and symbols such as the Nazi symbol or
vulgar language.
✔ It promotes more safety on campus as well as on field trips. Outsiders are easily identifiable and it is
easier to account for one's own students.
Cons of a School Uniform
Most school kids think, 'school uniforms are bad!'. Given that most uniforms are very formal and are rarely
fashionable, I tend to see their point of view. However, there are a few more reasons why school uniforms
are bad:
✘ Many people feel that uniforms are a method of reining in the creativity and freedom of expression of
students, and passing on the message that conformity is important.
✘ Some parents feel that the safety of students is compromised by uniforms. In the events of natural
disasters or emergencies, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, fires or terrorist attacks, it would be really hard
for parents to identify their child from the midst of a milieu of similarly clothed children.
✘ Contrary to popular belief, even with uniforms on, certain children will get picked on by others. Cliques
will still be formed and students will find ways (such as weight, complexion, financial status) to pass
judgment upon their peers.
✘ School uniforms are very often unflattering, and it can damage a child's self-image.
✘ A uniform divides two institutions which is enough to develop fights between the two school groups,
which consequently results into a serious rivalry. Students from rival institution are easily identifiable
because of their uniforms while they are on the way to school or returning home, resulting into bullying or
terrible fights between two school groups.
I hope these points will help you answer the question (especially if it is posed by one of your kids): are
school uniforms good or bad? In my opinion, it is best to reach a midpoint. If schools implement uniforms,
they should decide on semi-casual, comfortable clothing. They should also allow students to choose
between a few options. It is understandable why schools want to institute uniforms. It is one way to
maintain decorum and discipline, which schools require. Also, events in the past, such as the one at
Columbine, where students were singled out partially for what they wore, have left everyone unnerved.
There have also been thefts and murders over designer shoes. In the face of such ghastly events, uniforms
may come across as the means to a peaceful end. However, I am here only to provide the argument. School
uniforms: good or bad? You decide!
For the past decade, schools, parents and students have clashed over the issue of regulating student attire. In
2007, cases involving an anti-Bush T-shirt in Vermont, an anti-gay T-shirt in San Diego and Tigger socks
in Napa, California, made their way through the courts, causing many to wonder whether this debate will
ever be resolved.
Meanwhile, researchers are divided over how much of an impact - if any - dress policies have upon student
learning. A 2004 book makes the case that uniforms do not improve school safety or academic discipline. A
2005 study, on the other hand, indicates that in some Ohio high schools uniforms may have improved
graduation and attendance rates, although no improvements were observed in academic performance.
Why do some public schools have uniforms?
President Clinton provided momentum to the school uniform movement when he said in his 1996 State of
the Union speech, "If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public
schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms."
The pros and cons of school uniforms
According to proponents, school uniforms:
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Help prevent gangs from forming on campus
Encourage discipline
Help students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothes
Help identify intruders in the school
Diminish economic and social barriers between students
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Increase a sense of belonging and school pride
Improve attendance
Opponents contend that school uniforms:
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Violate a student's right to freedom of expression
Are simply a Band-Aid on the issue of school violence
Make students a target for bullies from other schools
Are a financial burden for poor families
Are an unfair additional expense for parents who pay taxes for a free public education
Are difficult to enforce in public schools
What research says about school uniforms
Virginia Draa, assistant professor at Youngstown State University, reviewed attendance, graduation and
proficiency pass rates at 64 public high schools in Ohio. Her final analysis surprised her: "I really went into
this thinking uniforms don't make a difference, but I came away seeing that they do. At least at these
schools, they do. I was absolutely floored."
Draa's study concluded that those schools with uniform policies improved in attendance, graduation and
suspension rates. She was unable to connect uniforms with academic improvement because of such
complicating factors as changing instructional methods and curriculum.
University of Missouri assistant professor, David Brunsma reached a different conclusion. In his 2004
book, The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells Us About American Education: A Symbolic
Crusade, Brunsma reviewed past studies on the effect of uniforms on academic performance. He also
conducted his own analysis of two enormous databases, the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study
and the 1998 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Brunsma concluded that there is no positive correlation
between uniforms and school safety or academic achievement.
Meanwhile, the movement toward uniforms in public schools has spread to about a quarter of all
elementary schools. Experts say that the number of middle and high schools with uniforms is about half the
number of elementary schools. If uniforms are intended to curb school violence and improve academics,
why are they not more prevalent in middle and high schools, where these goals are just as important as in
elementary schools? Because, says Brunsma, "It's desperately much more difficult to implement uniforms
in high schools, and even middle schools, for student resistance is much, much higher. In fact, most of the
litigation resulting from uniforms has been located at levels of K-12 that are higher than elementary
schools. Of course, this uniform debate is also one regarding whether children have rights, too!"
is official — the largest school district in the U.S. has adopted school uniforms. Over a half-million
elementary-school students in New York City will have to adhere to a dress code by the fall of 1999. The
president of the school board said the policy is “important to diminish peer pressure and promote school
pride,” but that it’s not “an act of magic to transform schools overnight….It isn’t going to replace good
teaching, good principals, small classrooms.”
It’s a fashion trend that’s spreading. From Los Angeles to Louisiana, from Maryland to Miami, public
schools are discussing, and in many cases adopting, the old private school idea. School uniforms are
designed to help kids focus on algebra instead of high-tops; to make students compete for grades rather
than jackets.
Weekend Wear vs. School Wear
“It helps to get up in the morning and not have to think about what you’re going to wear,” said Maria,
a ninth-grader who swims, plays soccer, and wears exactly what everybody else does at her high school in
Washington, DC. Each school day, Maria dons an all-white oxford shirt, brown shoes, and a gray/maroon
plaid skirt that has to be long enough to the touch the ground when she kneels. After school and on
weekends, of course, all bets are off. Maria has a simple yet effective strategy: she borrows her friends’
clothes, typically baggy jeans.
No-nonsense uniforms are what many school are using as weapons in the war against gang-related violence
and classroom distractions.”I just kind of steal them,” said Maria. “That way, they do the shopping, and I
get to wear them.”
President Clinton: Pro-Uniforms
School uniforms also take the pressure off students to pay top dollar for clothes, according to Reginald
Wilson, a senior scholar at the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C. “I think it does lower
the cost of clothes, and kids don’t emphasize clothes as much when they’re all wearing the same thing,”
Wilson said. “Certainly the competition to wear the best shoes or the best sweaters and so forth has been
prevalent in school ever since I was in school, and the poor kids felt inferior.”
It always starts in California…
Public school uniforms became popular 1994, when the Long Beach, California school district became the
first to require uniforms. A year later, according to the district, school fights there went down 50%.
Since then, many public schools–usually one at a time–175; have followed suit, in most cases following
discussions among faculty, students and parents. And it’s not always mandatory: some schools let students
opt out for personal beliefs, and others say uniforms are totally voluntary.
One in four students will soon be wearing uniforms.
Not everybody is welcoming the idea. The American Civil Liberties Union says there’s no link between
school uniforms and safety or good grades. Former California high school principal Dennis Evans says
teenagers who decide what to wear in the morning are developing decision-making skills and learning to
take responsibility for their choices in life. Many students agree.
“If I wear flared pants, it means I’m kind of trendy and I’m kind of cool and with-it,” said Athey, an eighthgrader who plays basketball and soccer at school in Washington, D.C., where students can wear what they
want — so long as there are no spaghetti straps, frayed pants or exposed midriffs. “And if I wear something
nice on special days, people think: ‘that girl dresses well and cares about how she looks.’”
But how do they look?
Let’s cut to the chase. How do they look? In many public schools, the formula looks like this: polos and
oxford shirts on top; khakis, skirts and chino shorts and pants on the bottom. Most schools require solid
colors, the more popular choices being red, white, navy blue, evergreen and soft yellow maize. And there’s
more variety on the way. Soon uniforms will include jean shirts and striped polos.
Other fashion suggestions offered by students and designers for uniform-wearing kids: varied skirt lengths,
colored shoelaces, hair bow experimentation, locker decoration, experimenting on the weekends, and
jewelry overload — if allowed. In short, you can look different, if you try.
“Twenty years ago, school uniforms made us look and feel like we were in prison… it
was awful. It was so rigid. Skirts had to be exact lengths. There was no latitude for selfexpression.
-Designer Joanne Arbuckle, Fashion Institute of Technology in New York
If the school’s had school uniforms then there could be problems with the cost. If a family was poor and
The school just had a meeting about the students and them not following the dress code so they have
decided to put school uniforms in to actions. But what happens if they poor family cant pay for the school
uniforms. Will the kids get kicked out or will the kids get the uniforms and the parents will have to work
until they pay off their debt to the school or what.
If school’s had school uniforms then what would happen if the kids didn’t like them? Well the kids might
come back and refuse to wear them. They might have taken a sewing class so they could make them
different they would change them to look really good. Because some student’s (like me) I would probably
not like them, not want to wear them. So I would change them into something tighter, shorter or twisting
and winding them to make them look much better
Intro:
On Gulf News Facebook page readers were asked: ‘Should schools have uniforms or not? How does it
affect the psyche of the pupil?’ Most readers said that school uniform promotes a sense of equality and
discipline amongst students and leaves no room for competition and comparison based on wealth.
However, some readers believe that students should dress casually to school at least once a week as this
will help them develop a sense of fashion and also motivate them to go to school. We present a selection of
views.
This is an excellent topic to debate on. Yes, schools should have uniforms because some students in schools
might come from wealthy families and others from families struggling to pay the fees. If students were
allowed to wear casuals in schools, the rich will wear expensive dresses that the poor might not be able to
afford. Uniform makes sure that there is no complex or competition over the appearance of the child.
Sometimes the complex can reach a level where it beings to effect the psychological balance of a student.
But beyond all this, if students don’t wear a uniform to school, the school will look more like a picnic
ground. Hence, I think a uniform is must for all schools.
Discipline comes from understanding and encouraging development with patience. I think it is better to
give students the freedom to be themselves. I don’t think that we need uniforms to maintain equality
because if a student wants to show off and make other students feel a difference, he/she will do that
regardless of if they are in uniform or not.
I am a student and I’m okay with uniforms, but only if they look good. The uniform designers must keep in
mind that students of different sizes and heights will be wearing the same design. Hence, they must design
uniforms that suit everybody.
Definitely yes! Students can easily go anywhere and mix in a crowd without a uniform, as people won’t be
able to recognise that they are students. It will make it easy for students to abscond from school. Also,
student’s minds will be occupied with fashion and they won’t be able to focus on studies. Lastly, a school
uniform is an identity of a student that tells people about where they belong. It makes children look more
presentable and disciplined.
I too am for uniforms in schools. Uniforms maintain equality and discipline in schools. The very term
‘uniform’ explains itself well. Furthermore, wearing anything other than the specified uniforms may come
up as a reason behind unwarranted discrimination and inferiority complex among students. I understand,
students feel it would be better to wear their own dresses to school, but we have to admit that there is a
reason why uniforms were introduced. Schools are a place where rules have to be followed.
Uniforms are a symbol of unity and inculcate a feeling of oneness among the students, but at times it does
kill a person’s individuality and hides the personality. But if I say that uniforms should not be compulsory,
I fear that studies might no longer remain the priority of the students. Children might struggle prioritising
learning over fashion. I think there needs to be a perfect balance between the two. Maybe, students should
be allowed to dress in regular clothes once a week.
Yes, uniform is a must, otherwise a school will look like a fashion parade ground. Also, dressing up every
day will distract students from their studies.
A school uniform goes far beyond identifying the school the child belongs to. It is a part of discipline and
more importantly it avoids discrimination between students based on what they wear. It brings a sense of
equality amongst the students and avoids differentiation at a young age. The students don’t feel pressured
that they are being judged by the others based on what they are wearing. Also, having a uniform makes sure
that students are concentrating more on their studies, rather than discussing who’s wearing what and what
they should wear the following day.
Uniforms have a purpose. Schools have students from various cultures and backgrounds and from different
strata of society. Uniforms unite students under one banner, regardless of their nationality, religion,
ethnicity, culture and financial standing.
The junior and high schools here just implemented uniforms last year. My daughter was so picky that she
would only wear one pair of pants. I saw a difference in her, she didn’t ask for clothes so much. I think it is
better to start younger, especially here when there is so much focus on looks for young children. I was a
teacher in the system and it cuts out a lot of conversation and distraction in the classroom. The only issue is
that children can get their uniform anywhere and one can tell the difference between cheaply made clothes
and good ones. I think it would be better to have them all come from the same place. My son stayed super
relaxed in his senior year, last year.
Uniform means equality. Not all parents can afford good dresses for their children every day. If schools
don’t have uniforms, those students who are mocked have a very different psyche from his or her early
days. Being mocked based on clothes will take away from their confidence. It might also lead to a negative
emotion towards parents. Students will think about money and fashion all the time. This will not be good
Sadly very few students in Dubai take pride in the uniform they wear. Shirts hang out, they mix sweaters
and tights of any type during colder days, often the uniform is not ironed and dirty, or it doesn’t fit well. If
there is to be a uniform, it should be worn properly and with pride. Otherwise they may as well not wear
one at all.
What if there is a dress code and students are allowed to express and choose what one likes to wear. School
is a place where a pupil’s basic sense of fashion and dress code is developed. In today’s world this is
important, too. I am against uniforms.
Amendment I to the Constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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