Name: __________________________
Period: _____
School Uniforms:
The issue:
Do school-imposed dress codes
improve students' ability to learn in
the classroom? Or are uniform policies
essentially ineffective in changing
students' attitudes toward the
educational process?
Directions: Use the article below to complete your
Contemporary Issue Research Notes. Highlight key facts
that represent arguments “for” and “against.”
Summary of Arguments
The issue: Do school-imposed dress codes improve
students' ability to learn in the classroom? Or are
uniform policies essentially ineffective in changing
students' attitudes toward the educational process?
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Table of Contents:
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Summary of Arguments
School Violence Prompts New Wave of Support for
Uniforms
Tension Grows As Dress Codes Become More
Commonplace
Student Dress Codes Promoted
Critics Say Uniforms Do Not Improve Student Learning
Mandatory Dress Codes: Coming to a School Near You?
GT students must read all sections of the article. On-grade level
students must read the underlined sections and may read the
additional sections.
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Supporters of school uniforms say: Dress codes
enhance the quality of education in U.S. schools by
improving students' behavior and bolstering their academic
performance. Uniform policies also foster a sense of social
unity within a school's student body, which helps reduce
crime and violence on school property.
Critics of school uniforms say: The idea that dress
codes improve students' test scores and behavior is not
supported by any real evidence. Uniform policies also
infringe on students' inherent right to self-expression,
which is protected by the First Amendment to the
Constitution. Increased educational funding, not dress
codes, is needed to solve the problems faced by the
nation's public school system.
Many American students disapprove of mandatory dress
codes and school uniform policies. Though they deem
uniforms acceptable in some instances--during sports
competitions, for example--teens generally view schoolimposed clothing requirements as unnecessary and unfair.
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Among other things, they say, dress codes curtail teens'
ability to express themselves through fashion.
However, since the mid-1990s, dress codes at U.S. schools
have become increasingly common. As of 2006, roughly one
in five of the nation's schools has a dress-code or uniform
policy in place, the highest percentage in recent decades.
Popular in the eyes of many teachers and school
administrators, dress requirements have been embraced
because of their purported ability to improve student behavior
and academic performance. [See 1997 School Uniforms]
But is there any validity to the idea that dress codes have a
positive impact on the educational process? Depending upon
who is asked, the answers vary widely. In recent years,
growing numbers of educators and parents have expressed
their conviction that dress requirements make students more
attentive in the classroom. Requiring all students to dress the
same, they add, also ensures that students do not
superficially judge one another based on clothing choice.
Meanwhile, students and some parents--and even a few
sociologists--say that since there is little concrete evidence
linking uniform policies to improved test scores, supporters'
claims that dress codes enhance the educational process
must be viewed skeptically.
The modern-day school-uniform movement first gained
momentum in the 1980s, after a number of studies found that
the average test scores of Catholic-school students exceeded
test scores of students in the public-school system. One of
the key differences between the academic environments in
the Catholic and public-school systems, researchers decided,
was that most Catholic-school students were subject to a
mandatory dress code. From that point onward, analysts say,
public and charter schools around the country began
experimenting with dress requirements in order to recreate
the academic success of parochial schools.
The burgeoning uniform movement received a huge boost in
1996 when President Bill Clinton (D, 1993-2001) promoted
dress codes in his annual State of the Union address. In the
wake of that speech, demand for uniforms climbed slowly
upwards. That trend was as a boon for clothing companies
that specialized in the production of khaki pants, polo shirts
and other staples of dress-code wardrobes.
Since local school boards were empowered to shape uniform
policies in their jurisdiction, dress codes varied widely
throughout the country. Most states empowered school
boards to institute dress codes if it was deemed necessary,
though Massachusetts notably outlawed uniform policies by
banning schools from curbing "the rights of students as to
personal dress and appearance" except under certain
circumstances.
In states that did permit dress codes, some schools
implemented very strict codes, requiring students to wear
formal suits or dresses. Other schools adopted more casual
restrictions, mandating that students wear collared shirts
accompanied by pants of a certain color or brand. In many
cases, school districts banned students from wearing
sneakers, hats, baggy jeans or clothing that featured lettering
or corporate logos.
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Soon thereafter, students began testing how strict the
teachers' enforcement of the dress code would be. They
wore banned clothing under their uniforms in some instances,
or refused to wear the mandatory clothing in other cases.
While some violators received a simple verbal reprimand,
others were either sent to after-school detention, told to go
home or suspended. Analysts say that while such punitive
measures for dealing with dress-code violators made
students more likely to comply with uniform policies, the
punishments also fostered resentment toward school officials.
As the number of dress-code-friendly schools has steadily
risen in recent years, supporters and critics of uniform
policies have squared off in an effort to attract public support
for their particular viewpoint. At the core of the dispute have
been a number of seemingly simple questions that have not
produced obvious answers. For example, do mandatory
uniforms limit the distractions that students face in a
classroom environment? Is there any legitimate correlation
between dress codes and student academic performance?
And if uniform policies turn out to be ineffective in bolstering
students' test scores, what other approaches could school
officials experiment with in order to enhance students'
educational experience?
Supporters of school uniforms insist that dress codes improve
the learning environment in schools by instilling a sense of
discipline in the student body. By eliminating the distractions
created by designer clothing, backers say, uniforms force
students to focus their attention on the teacher, and not on
one another. As a result, they say, students are more likely to
absorb classroom lessons and perform better on exams.
Furthermore, proponents contend, uniforms act as an
equalizing social force in many school districts. Since imageconscious teens routinely evaluate one another based on
fashion choices, dress codes "level the playing field" by
ensuring that one student is not able to wear more expensive,
"impressive" clothing than the rest, they say. By mandating
that all students dress alike, school officials can ensure that
students judge one another based on character, not
wardrobe, supporters assert.
While many critics of school uniforms sympathize with
supporters' effort to foster equality in the classroom, they
disagree with the approach. By imposing dress requirements,
schools infringe upon students' inherent ability to express
themselves through fashion, a right protected by the First
Amendment to the Constitution, critics contend. Also, in the
eyes of many opponents, dress codes have never been
proven to be effective in improving test scores or reducing
conflict among students. Given that situation, supporters'
claims that dress codes enhance the learning environment in
schools ring false, critics assert.
Many opponents liken schools' use of uniforms to placing a
band-aid on an open wound. While dress codes might
resolve some superficial problems experienced in schools,
they do not address the more serious issues, such as lack of
funding and insufficient educational resources for students,
critics charge. If school administrators are truly interested in
improving students' educational experience, opponents
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maintain, they should allocate more funds to developing
educational infrastructure and be less concerned with
controlling students' fashion choices.
School Violence Prompts New Wave of Support for
Uniforms
Though interest in school uniforms grew after Clinton's 1996
endorsement, there was no major surge in demand until mid1999. In April of that year, two gun-wielding students at
Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., opened fire on
their fellow students, killing 12 and one teacher before taking
their own lives. Following the incident, school administrators
around the U.S. expressed concern about copycat attacks
taking place in their own school districts.
After details about the shooting surfaced, it became apparent
that the two Columbine shooters had been social outcasts
who had been bullied previously by their peers. The two
gunmen had also allegedly gained a reputation around school
because of their penchant for wearing dark-colored clothing,
among other things.
From mid-1999 onward, officials at many U.S. schools seized
on that last detail, viewing mandatory dress codes as a
means to limit social unrest on campus. The push for school
uniforms was "very much an aftermath of Columbine,"
observed Jane Urschel, associate executive director of the
Colorado Association of School Boards. "People want social
order. They want safety."
While school officials supplemented dress codes with other
security measures, such as installing metal detectors, it was
the uniforms that upset students most. Around that time,
some students--such as Teshana Byars, a student a middle
school student in Waterbury, Conn.--began to openly defy
local uniform policies. Byars went so far as to attend school
after having been suspended for a dress-code infraction; the
school responded by charging her with trespassing. Though
the charge was ultimately dismissed, the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) decided to challenge the uniform
policy in the Waterbury school district.
Representing Byars and a handful of other local students who
had been disciplined for dress-code violations, the ACLU
argued that school-imposed dress codes violated students'
rights. The case, Teshana Byars et al. v. City of Waterbury et
al., attracted national media attention. In November 2001, the
Waterbury Superior Court ruled in the case, deciding that the
local uniform policy was constitutional. The court upheld the
policy because it agreed with school officials' argument that
students' loose-fitting clothing could be used to hide guns or
other weapons. (In 2004, the Waterbury dress code was
tightened further, barring students from wearing decorative
clothing and open-toed footwear.)
Tension Grows As Dress Codes Become More
Commonplace
During subsequent years, schools nationwide seemed to
embrace the idea that mandatory dress codes could be used
as a tool to maintain social order within the student body. At
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the same time, many school administrators claimed to be
instituting uniform policies for academic reasons, as well.
Indeed, after President Bush (R) signed the No Child Left
Behind Act into law in January 2002, a number of schools
adopted dress codes in hopes that the clothing requirements
would help improve students' test scores.
But as dress codes became more commonplace, opposition
to school-imposed uniforms became more pronounced. While
students were at the forefront of the backlash, some
concerned parents and teachers, were not far behind. They
collectively criticized dress codes on the basis that uniforms
were unfair to students, and did little to improve either
security or academic performance in schools. Some critics
also argued that dress codes were biased against lowincome students, who might have trouble paying for the
required uniforms.
While boycotts were suggested in some school districts, few
acts of civil disobedience materialized. Instead, it seemed
that while mandatory dress codes were unpopular with most
students, they became resigned to them and did little to
protest.
Nevertheless, some national organizations of educators
recognized that the issue was creating unrest at the
grassroots level. The National Association of Elementary
School Principals (NAESP), for example, made a point of
informing the public that dress codes could not be imposed
on schools either at the state or federal levels. Rather, they
tried to calm critics by reminding them that uniform policies
were decided upon only at the local level. To that end, they
urged opponents to become involved in the dress-code
debate as their respective communities deliberated over
whether uniform policies should be implemented. Vincent L.
Ferrandino, executive director of the NAESP, explained:
Adopting uniforms should be a school-by-school decision.
Schools should engage the whole school community in the
discussion on whether or not to introduce uniforms. It should
not be a top-down decision. If adopted, uniform policies
should allow for religious expression and provide financial
assistance for families in need.
Still, despite educators' attempts to foster a public dialogue
about uniforms, supporters and critics have found little
common ground on which to debate. While both sides agree
that school security and educational achievement are
important, they advocate divergent means to reach those
ends. Given that situation, many students have settled for
detentions, suspensions and general apathy rather than
mount direct challenges to dress requirements.
Student Dress Codes Promoted
In general, proponents of school uniforms contend that dress
codes play an important role in shaping students' attitude
toward school work and academic life. By instilling discipline
at an early age with regard to wardrobe choices, schools can
ensure that students remain well-behaved as they progress
through elementary school and into high school, supporters
assert. As proof that uniform policies work, many teachers in
dress-code schools report that their charges are rarely
disruptive in the classroom.
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Rudolph Saunders, principal of the Stephen Decatur Middle
School in Prince George's County, Md., remarks that the
dress code's impact on his students is readily evident. At his
school, where all students are required to wear khaki pants
and polo shirts that are one of three colors, students behave
admirably, except on days when casual dress is allowed,
Saunders says. "It's like night and day. We have 'dress down'
days, and the kids' behavior is just completely different on
those days," he observes.
Many school administrators admit they have adopted uniform
policies because of concerns about future Columbine-style
school attacks. By requiring all students to dress similarly,
schools can create a more unified student body, in which
individual students are less likely to act violently, they
contend. Furthermore, since gang members often identify
themselves by the color or corporate brand of their clothing,
mandatory dress codes help curb social ills, such as drugdealing and fighting, backers assert.
Many dress-code proponents point to the experience of
California's Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) as a
model school system where a dress-code policy has restored
social order in the student body. Beset by gang-related
activity in the early 1990s, Long Beach school administrators
implemented uniform requirements in 1994. Within four
years, area schools reported that student-on-student assaults
had dropped by 85% between kindergarten and grade eight,
supporters note. After another four years, in 2002, the
district's suspension and absentee rates dropped to their
lowest levels since 1990.
Dick Van Der Laan, an LBUSD information officer, says that
while students were initially skeptical about the need for
uniforms, they have become tolerant of the dress
requirements. "Students were not thrilled about the idea, but
they've accepted it very well," he reports. "They come to
school in condition to learn. I had no idea [the uniforms]
would continue to be as well received as they are."
Backers also assert that dress codes bolster the quality of
students' academic performance. By reducing on-campus
distractions, clothing requirements effectively focus
teenagers' attention on classroom lessons, they contend.
Betsy Boyle, secretary for Catholic schools and
superintendent with the Archdiocese of Denver, Colo., opines
that uniform policies "put a serious note on the work
[students] have to do in school. It's a community builder."
According to other proponents, dress codes help unify the
student body by putting students from varying economic
backgrounds on the same footing. Backers explain that
without dress codes, students from wealthy families
sometimes wear expensive clothing and flaunt it in front of
their peers. By requiring all students to wear the same thing,
supporters say, such preening is eliminated, and the income
gap between rich and poor students becomes less visible.
Myrella Goff, the principal of Denver's Barnum Elementary,
asserts that without uniform requirements, students are
"concerned about making fun of each other [and] comparing
wealth. It distracts them." However, with a dress code in
place, the social environment at school begins to change for
the better, proponents say. Betty Mikesell-Bailey, a schoolPage | 6
improvement resource teacher at Stephen Decatur Middle
School, states that "children at this age are so impressed with
dress that, if we can eliminate that little aspect of their daily
lives and get their minds focused on academics, that's half
the battle."
Critics Say Uniforms Do Not Improve Student Learning
Most opponents of school uniforms reject the notion that
dress codes are linked to better student performance. While
many critics concede that uniforms may have a slight impact
on student behavior, they maintain that uniforms have no
bearing whatsoever on students' academic output. Indeed,
opponents argue that the dearth of evidence linking uniforms
to improved test scores demonstrates that there is no real
relationship between the two.
According to critics, uniform policies are generally unjust
because dress requirements represent an infringement upon
students' freedom of expression, guaranteed by the First
Amendment to the Constitution. Even some supporters of
dress codes, such as the Colorado Association of School
Board's Urschel, acknowledge the problem. "The issue is
how do we make a policy that results in more social order
without taking away personal liberty?" she asks.
During their formative years, students have to be able to
express themselves in order to develop as individuals,
opponents contend. Just as art and athletics serve as
important channels of self-expression, they say, so too does
fashion. "People can't be who they are if they have to wear
the same thing every day," opines Alexis Richardson, a
former student at Decatur Middle School.
By fostering conformity and hindering individualism, schools
with uniform policies effectively stunt students' personal
growth, opponents charge. As a result, some critics warn,
school dress-code policies may negatively affect students
later in life. Tara Maginnis, an associate professor at the
University of Alaska at Fairbanks, elaborates:
School is...the place where the next actors, writers, artists,
politicians, inventors, designers and musicians are trained.
School uniforms send a clear early-life message to students
that conformity is important and creativity is not.... Students
learn from uniforms that their individuality, political opinions
and religious rights are unimportant, as is their education:
students are regularly suspended for non-compliance to the
uniform code even if their school work is excellent.
In the view of other opponents, U.S. schools are
implementing dress-code policies simply because they
represent a low-cost "solution" to glaring problems with the
nation's public school system. In many areas of the country-and particularly in inner-city school districts--insufficient
funding and classroom overcrowding present major
challenges to students and teachers alike, critics insist. While
there are many ways to tackle those problems, opponents
say, enacting uniform requirements is unfortunately not one
of them. However, they note, an examination of urban school
districts around the U.S. reveals that schools in those areas
are more likely to have dress codes than schools located in
suburban districts.
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That discrepancy, some opponents allege, is due to the fact
that school administrators have not learned to embrace
diversity within the ranks of their student bodies. Indeed,
those critics say it is no mistake that urban school districts-which tend to be dominated by minority students--are the
same districts that most often institute dress requirements.
According to David Brunsma, a sociologist from the
University of Missouri-Columbia who has extensively
researched the relationship between dress codes and
students' academic performance, the embrace of dress
codes in urban areas represents an attempt to quash minority
students' sense of individualism.
"People have increasingly become afraid of the diversity of
our public school student bodies," Brunsma says. "Uniforms
have increased as an attempt to assert some kind of control
in the face of uncertainties.... For all our talk of diversity, we
don't like the work behind the word, which is to actually make
diversity a strength." The prevalence of uniform policies in
urban areas, he adds, "could potentially be seen as a racist
and classist policy."
uniform policies tend to be widely supported by parents.
Some educators, such as the Decatur Middle School's
Saunders, even suggest that eventually dress codes will
become the norm in American classrooms. "I wouldn't be
surprised if every school in the country moves to uniforms,"
he says.
But despite that prediction, Saunders acknowledges that it
will take more than just uniform policies to improve the quality
of public-school education in the U.S. "I think some people
think if you change the clothes, everything else is going to
change magically," he says. In order to truly revolutionize
students' educational experience, he and a growing chorus of
school administrators admit, better-paid teachers and better
schools will likely be necessary as well.
Mandatory Dress Codes: Coming to a School Near You?
School uniforms and dress codes, once seen almost
exclusively in U.S. parochial schools, have indisputably
gained a foothold in the world of secular education. But while
public schools and charter schools continue to embrace
dress requirements as of 2006, is the trend sustainable?
For the foreseeable future, many educational analysts say
that more schools will likely implement dress codes, since
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