Essay: Should we have school uniforms?

Think about it for a second. Nobody would have to go through the trouble of being picked on because of his or her clothes. They are very easy to choose in the morning or even before you go to bed.
Are there schools that require uniforms? Yes, there are many from around the world that require them. Imagine a 12 year old in middle school, how do you think they feel when they have to wear them to school every day. There are many different opinions on how uniforms make children feel. “The first recorded use of standardized dress in education may have been in England in 1222.” (School uniforms Pros and Cons)
What is the definition of a school uniform? Their are many different definitions because each school or school district gets to decide what there uniform is going to be. For example, it might be a white shirt and tie for boys, and girls might have to wear dresses and skirts. Some schools might have the option to add there logo to the clothing, some might even allow students to wear shorts.
The rate of schools requiring uniforms is on a rise, according to a study done in 2003-2004 there were one in eight public schools wearing uniforms, then in 2011-2012 there were one in five schools. Uniforms allow students to focus on their educational achievements instead if what others look like compared to themselves. (School uniforms Pros and Cons)
These uniforms are a huge help with little kids, because when they are on educational trips they might leave the group, if they do this the teacher can find them easier. They also prevent children from being offered drugs or alcohol, because they cannot be mistaken for older children. With uniforms students from lower income homes cannot be picked out because everyone is wearing very similar clothing. “There are teachers who say the uniform program has improved school culture, and parents are supportive because it saves time and money.” (Boston globe) (Health Guidance)
Even if students think the only way to express their personality is through the clothing they wear, think again. Because the true way to express personality is through being themselves. If they attend a school that requires uniforms they can still express themselves, without getting to chose what clothing they wear every day. No matter the body size, students still can be themselves.(Public School Uniforms)
When students are required to wear uniforms they are less likely to be tardy, skip classes, and do other activities that might cause them to be suspended. There are less referrals to the principal’s office. Uniforms have also shown an increase in school pride and unity at school events. Requiring uniforms helps to identify people that on school property but do not belong there. With this there can be a lot of clothing eliminated that has the possibility of identifying gangs and certain social group, such as bandannas. (Public School Review)
There are many things that could help with discipline problems in schools, school uniforms is just one of them. School uniforms work best not only when they are enforced, but when there are school committees that agree on the policy and can help enforce it.Many parents have mixed feelings about the price of uniforms. Some of the parents say that they are cost-effective and others say they are not. The first year is the most expensive because parents have to purchase the man staples of the uniforms, and then little purchases through out the rest of the year. Other parents will say that they are very expensive because they have to purchase a school wardrobe and a casual wardrobe.(Public School Uniforms) (Uniforms Benefit Students)
Some research says that uniforms do not help with discipline issues in schools. Instead, the research says there are other things that need to be addressed before uniforms will be effective. Also uniforms are helpful for different problems in school, but discipline is one that is not helped. Some might say that uniforms deny students the right to express their individualism. It has the potential of harming them as they grow up, because the will be used to being told what they can and cannot wear, this could also cause them to express their personalities in a much more harmful way than clothing, such as nontraditional hair styles, makeup and their overall attitude. “Uniforms may be a part of the solution, but they are not the only way to improve schools.” (Sherry Bowen) (Health Guidance) (School Uniforms Pros and Cons)
There may be days where the students do not have to wear uniforms. Many principal’s have said that days like this, there is a huge difference in the student’s behaviors and in there level of productivity.Because of this the students do not have very many days like this a month since teachers may feel like they cannot teach everything that they need to in the school year, and have the students understand it to the fullest of their knowledge. (Are School Uniforms Helping or Hindering)
Even though there will always be people that do not think they are beneficial. Just think about the power of the sports uniform that students wear. Most of the time you can see the unity and loyalty that is created by a simple uniform. Now try to apply this to the school uniforms, it could do the same thing for the schools that are using the uniforms that it does for sports teams. Some schools do not wear uniforms, but a lot of schools do wear them, for example one hundred percent of Philadelphia schools, sixty five percent in Boston and sixty percent in Miami require students to wear uniforms. In schools across the nation from Boston to California have uniform policies, but by next fall nearly half a million elementary schools will be wearing uniforms in New York. Because of this new policy school associated crime rates have dropped by nearly seventy five percent. (Are School Uniforms Helping or Hindering) (Family Education)
Parents might have a different outlook on the situation compared to principals and other school staff members. For example the parents may not like the idea because they might feel like it is too expensive. Then the principal might point out that it would be the most expensive the first year or two because you are having to by the main supplies, but then once your younger children were old enough to go to school then they could wear the same uniforms as our older children as long as they were in good condition. Another thing that the principal might point out would be a benefit because there would be less bullying, they could focus on their academic achievements instead of physical and social peer pressures.(School Uniforms Pros and Cons)
There are different ways that school districts could help parents pay for uniforms. For example they have a free and reduced price rate for families that apply. There are many different ways that uniforms could benefit the students and parents. Parents who do not think uniforms are beneficial because of their price, think about it again. It is better to spend money on school uniforms than it is to spend it on gang affiliated clothing and accessories. (Uniforms Benefit Students)
Others that are for school uniforms, say that if children are not always in their comfort zone, it will make them safer because they will be more alert of what is going on. Also when they are too limited they will find ways to express themselves and rebel against the school policies. They also say that if the students are not comfortable with uniforms then they will not put their full effort and try to learn.There are many schools that keep extra uniforms in their main office for those who decide to come to school not following the policies. School staff members understand that children are constantly growing, because of this they have been thinking of many different ideas of how to keep uniforms cheaper, some of their ideas have been such as having a store set up in the school where parents could trade uniforms.(Do Uniforms make Schools Better?) (Uniform Effects)
Some research shows that requiring school uniforms have shown that they do not fix every problem in school, but they can bring a slight change in problems. This research has proven that primary schools have a higher rate of change in crime, alcohol, drug, and weapon related instances compared to secondary schools. Did you know that the U.S. is not the only country that has schools that require their students to wear uniforms? Well, Ninety eight percent of schools in Britain have uniforms, for the most part it is private schools.The benefits of uniforms are usually assumed by parents and staff when they really need to be demonstrated.In a rural area in Kenya then seen test scores rise by twenty five percent when the students wore uniforms. In Ohio they have found that uniforms being required have improved attendance, graduation, and decreased suspension rates. Did they affect anything academically? No, but after they were enforced for a while test scored did improve a little. On the other hand uniforms have not made any negative impacts on the students. (Uniforms for Learning)
If parents could chose, would they chose school uniforms or have a uniform with an radio-frequency identification chip (R.F.I.D) in it. Well, in Victoria de Conqusta, Brazil there are twenty thousand students that have the radio-frequency identification chips in their uniforms at all time. These chips can detect when the student enters the school building, and alerts the parents when they do so.Also if the students are more than twenty minutes late the chip also alerts the parents, when there are messages such as these sent on three days the parents must explain why the student was gone from school for so long, or they will be reported to the local authorities. (uniforms for learning)
Radio-frequency identification chips might not stop there, considering how fast technology is advancing. It might end up inside schools to track students even more. However this topic is still up to debate, the U.S. privacy advocates have been campaigning about this topic. there have been many court cases about this. In Texas there was a court case because students refused to wear the radio-frequency identification chip. School uniforms were made to help students academically. With radio-frequency identification chips who knows if it will even benefit the schools anymore, it might not end up being enforced because technology societies may not feel comfortable embedding this in students uniforms.
The main reasons for having uniforms are; it would prevent violence, parents will save money, and students will be less distracted. Even though some students see it as their self-expression will be taken away from them. Their are different type of ways to express yourself. First, by enforcing school uniforms statistics have shown that the crime rate in school has decreased because students are not able to wear their gang colors which can start fights. Additionally, students are not able to be bullied for how they dress. Some students are not able to have the latest designer clothes as other are able to do so. In a lot of schools, in order to be considered popular, it is important to wear the latest clothing styles. If uniforms were worn in schools, students wouldn’t have to worry about the newest fashion. Importantly, for parents it will be a big financial relief to have uniforms. Every year there are thousands of dollars spent on keeping your child in the latest fashion for school. If schools require uniforms, the cost will be cut more than half; you will be spending approximately $250 yearly on uniforms. Parents will just need to spend a good amount at the beginning of the year. Students won’t have to worry about who looks better than who, because at the end of the day everyone is wearing the same thing. Even though parents still need to buy clothes for students to wear after school and on weekends. They will not have to spend as much, and the clothes will last longer. Students who wear uniforms are more likely to focus on school work than the latest fashion.