Savanna Dakhil
Persuasive speech outline
General purpose:
To produce
Specific purpose:
To persuade my audience that uniforms should be mandatory
in schools.
Central ideal:
Making uniforms mandatory in schools can increase safety
and help stop bullying.
Attention
I.
On November 1st 1991, a band of intruders opened fire in a crowded
Brooklyn vocational school hallway, badly wounding a 19-year-old special
education student. In a second-floor hallway, crowded with students
changing classes, a dispute of some sort began, and angry words and taunts
were exchanged. One intruder pulled out a pistol and fired two shots. A bullet
hit Mr. Dickerson, who the police said was apparently an innocent bystander,
in the back, then the gang fled. The wounded student, Willie Dickerson,
underwent three and a half hours of surgery at Bellevue Hospital, where he
was listed in stable condition. The youth's mother, Annabelle Dickerson, said
as doctors worked on her son, "He got shot at the school for his chain, I
assume that's what they tried to kill him for."
(News Paper: The New York Times).
Persuasive Claim: To convince my audience that uniforms should be
mandatory in schools
Orienting Material
In my presentation, I will convince each of you on why uniforms should
be mandatory in schools. I will first talk about why it is necessary and
important to you and then move on to the solution and how making
uniforms mandatory can stop bullying, and create a safer environment. I will
then paint a mental picture of what the future, your children’s future could
be like if uniforms mandatory, and what your children’s future could be like
if uniforms were not mandatory.
Credibility
I feel that I am credible in speaking to you about this topic because I have
spent hours of extensive research on uniforms in schools and how they
are beneficial. More importantly, I feel credible because I have attended
schools that required uniforms and schools that have not, and have
witnessed first hand how uniforms can help stop bullying and make schools a
safer environment.
Transition: Now let me talk about the need for this problem.
Need
II.
School uniforms policies have mainly been enforced in private school, but
because of decades of research on private schools and the effectiveness that
uniforms have had on the successes of students, many public schools have
began to adopt the policies for many different reasons. The Journal of
Education Research states that, “A safe and disciplined learning environment
is the first requirement of a good school. Young people who are safe and
secure and who learn basic American values and the essentials of good
citizenship are better students. In response to growing levels of violence in
the nation’s schools, many parents, teachers, and school officials have come
to see school uniforms as one positive and creative way to reduce discipline
problems and increase school safety.”
(Journal: Education Research)
A.
Bullying is a widespread problem in our schools and
communities. The behavior encompasses physical aggression,
threats, teasing, and harassment.
a.
According to NASP online, bullying is the most
common form of violence in our society;
between 15% and 30% of students are bullies or
victims. A recent report from the American
Medical Association on a study of over 15,000
6th-10th graders estimates that approximately
3.7 million youths engage in, and more than 3.2
million are victims of, moderate or serious
bullying each year.
(Website: nasponline.org)
B.
Gangs are organized groups often involved in drugs, weapons
trafficking, and violence. The National Center for Education
Statistics states that gangs at school can be disruptive to
the school environment because their presence may incite fear
among students and increase the level of school violence.
(Website: nces.ed.gov)
a.
40% of gang members in the United States are
juveniles under the age of 18, and In 2007, 23
percent of students reported that there were
gangs at their schools during the school year.
(Website:helpinggangyouth.com)
Transition: I have a solution to the many problems involving violence in schools.
Solution
III.
PublicSchoolreview.com states that making uniforms mandatory in public
schools is continuing to rise in the United States, as parents and school
administrators try to keep schools a safe environments. Even though
uniforms have only been seen in private schools, public schools began
requiring uniforms when the California school district of Long Beach
implemented them. According to the Long Beach school district, within one
year after making uniforms mandatory, the fights and muggings at their
school decreased by 50%, and committed sexual offenses were reduced by
74%. (Website: PublicSchoolreview.com)
A.
Bullying is steadily increasing in the United States, so many
educators and administrators are constantly on the search for
ways to decrease and eventually eliminate the problem. One
way to deal with bullying in school is to require a school
uniform policy. School uniforms are intended to provide a
sense of equality among students, getting rid of bullying that
may stem from status and apparel.
a.
According to “The Debatabase Book: a must-have
guide for successful debate,” wearing uniforms
acts as a social leveler. All students are equal in
the eyes of the school and each other. In
institutions without uniforms students are often
competitive in dress and worry endlessly about
their appearance. People without expensive,
trendy clothes may become social outcasts.
(Book: The Debatabase Book)
b.
Bullies often look for outsiders to pick on, so
implementing school uniforms provides a lesser
chance for this to occur. When all students are
required to dress the same, bullies are less likely
to point out a difference in style or brand.
(Website: ehow.com)
B.
Uniforms in schools reduce the prevalence of violence, which is
a major concern for many public schools. Outsiders who do not
belong on campus and gang members are easily identified, and
therefore do not pose a great threat to students.
a.
Having the freedom to wear whatever you want
in school allows students to use their wardrobe
as a way to represent gang affiliation. Wearing a
certain color or style could mean association
with gang activity, so enforcing a school uniform
policy would help stop these situation and
prevent violence that comes from opposing
affiliations and also help spot intruders.
(Website: ehow.com)
C.
An article in Time Magazine states that after uniforms were
made mandatory in the Long Beach California school district,
where 66,000 students in 56 elementary schools, 14 middle
schools and one high school now wear them there were fewer
disruptions, fewer suspensions, and better attendance. The
article also states that according to Dick Van Der Laan, the
system's spokesman, criminal incidents at the district's schools
have decreased 86% since uniforms were mandated in 1994.
(Magazine: Time)
Transition: Now imagine this.
IV. Visualization
A.
It’s the future and you have a child with your husband or wife and the
both of you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money on
school shopping at the end of every summer, because the school that
your child is enrolled in requires uniforms. In the mornings your child
doesn’t have to spend time deciding what to wear every day, and at
school they are seen as equal to their peers. Because everyone is
dressed in uniforms the school is a safer environment and anyone
who doesn’t belong or is seen as a threat is easily spotted and dealt
with.
B.
Now picture this, It’s the future and you and your husband or wife are
struggling financially, therefore you are unable to buy your child
fashionable clothing and dress him or her in the latest trends. When
they go to school they are picked on for what they are wearing making
their school experience a negative one. To make matters worse an
intruder walks into the school without being recognized causing a
violent scene. This incident traumatizes your child and becomes
something that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Transition: There is some we can do as a community to make sure that this
doesn’t ever happen to your child.
Action
V.
We can start to make all public schools a safer environment by pushing state
legislators to make uniforms mandatory and making people aware of how
beneficial they can be.
Summary
I have just shared with you a tragic story of violence in a school, because
uniforms were not mandatory allowing violators to easily pass through
hallways unrecognized. I talked about the negative affects of not having
uniforms and how making them mandatory can benefit students and lower
the amount of bullying and violence overall making school a safer place.
Conclusion
I hope that I have convinced you that uniforms should be required in public
schools, and that your child shouldn’t ever have to be bullied or whiteness
violence because there is an alternative solution to this problem. Thank you.
Bibliography
Brunsma, D., & Rockquemore, K. (1998). Effects of Student Uniforms on Attendance,
Behavior Problems, Substance Use, and Academic Achievement. The Journal
of Educational Research, 92(1), 53-62. (Journal)
Chen, G. (2008, April 23). Public School Uniforms: The Pros and Cons for Your Child .
Public School Review. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from
http://www.publicschoolreview.com/artic (Website)
Cohn, A., & Canter, A. (2003, October 7). Bullying: Facts for Schools and Parents.
National Association of School Psychologists . Retrieved March 6, 2012, from
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/facts
Hernandez, A. (n.d.). Gang Statistic. Helping Gang Youth. Retrieved March 6, 2012,
from http://www.helpinggangyouth.com/statistics.html
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010. (n.d.). National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of Education.
Retrieved March 6, 2012, from
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/crimeindicators2010/ind_08.
asp
Kifner, J. (1991, November 2). Student Shot by an Intruder at a Brooklyn School. The
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(Newspaper)
Marchant, V. (1999, September 5). Dress for Success. time. Retrieved March 6,
2012, from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/a (Magazine)
McCreary, R. (n.d.). Ways to Stop School Bullying Using School Uniforms. eHow.
Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/way_5751746_waysbullying-using-school-uniforms.html
Trapp, R. (2007). CIX. The debatabase book a must-have guide for successful debate
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(Book)