DylanArnett

AllynGoodall
SamanthaMallay
CarterMcCullough
MargaretRose
MitchWeiss
Mr.Gross
English12A(1)
19November2015
DressCode
Therehaslongbeenadebateoverthebenefitsordetrimentsofuseofschooluniforms.
Uniformsincreaseviolentattacksandloweracademicachievement.Theyalsoenforceanideal
ofconformityratherthanindividuality.Proponentsofschooluniformpoliciesmightclaimthat
uniformsreducebullying,andtheeffectsofpeerpressure.However,thistheorycouldnotbe
moreincorrect.Schooldresscodesareunhealthy.
Schooluniformsincreaseviolentattacksandloweracademicachievement.In2007,a
studywasconductedthatprovedtheaveragenumberofschoolattacksincreasedbyfourteena
year.In1999,TexasSouthernUniversityconductedastudywhichstatedschooldiscipline
incidentsrosebyapproximatelytwelvepercentaftertheintroductionofuniforms.Accordingto
theMiamiDadeCountyPublicschoolsofficeofEducationEvaluation,thenumberoffights
nearlydoubledinthefirstyearofmandatingtheschooluniforms.Inalloftheseincidentsschool
uniformshavedoneexactlytheoppositeofwhattheywereoriginallymeanttodo.These

increasesinviolenceanddisciplineissuesarecorrelatedtotheintroductionofschooluniforms,
andshowthatschooluniformsdomorebadthangood.
Schooluniformssupportconformityratherthanindividuality.Schoolsaretryingto
supportdiversityandmandatingschooluniformsdirectlycontradictsthat.
KylerSumterwrotein
the
HuffingtonPost:
TheyteachusabouthowpeoplelikeRosaParksandSusanB.Anthony
expressesthemselvesandconqueredhugethingsbutwecantevenexpressourselvesinthe
hallway(
HowDoesaStrictDress)
.Todaymorethaneverteenagersstrugglewith
individualityandschooluniformsmakethisissueevenworse.Studentshouldbeencouragedto
bethemselvesandexpressthemselvesintheirownuniqueway.Morethaneverstudentsstruggle
withselfesteem,anddresscodesjustmakethisissuewithschooluniforms
unacceptable
.
Supportersofschooluniformpoliciesmayclaimthatuniformshelptoreducethe
effectsofpeerpressure,andtopreventbullyingduetosocioeconomicfactorswhichaffectthe
typeofclothesastudenthasaccessto.However,schooluniformsonlyservetoemphasizethis
division,insteadofeliminatingit.In2013,while47%ofhighpovertypublicschoolsrequired
schooluniforms,only6%oflowpovertypublicschoolsrequiredthem,accordingtothe
NationalCenterforEducationStatistics(SchoolUniformsProCon.org1).Schoolsthatrequire
uniformsareofteninlowincomeareas,whichpromptsprospectivestudentsalongwithstudents
fromotherschoolstoassociateuniformswithpovertyandviolence.Thisstigmaisnotlimitedto
theimageofaschoolasawhole,individualstudentsinsideaschoolarealsosubjectstosuch
discrimination.AccordingtoDavidL.Brunsma,PhD,"moreaffluentfamiliesbuymoreuniforms
perchild.Thelessaffluent...theyhaveone...It'smorelikelytobetattered,tornandfaded.It
onlytakestwomonthsforsocioeconomicdifferencestoshowupagain."(School

UniformProCon.org).Uniformsareunhealthy.Theyareabandaidonawoundthatneeds
stitches.
Adresscodeismoreharmfultoastudentswellbeingthanbeneficial.Underastrict
dresscode,studentsrightstoselfexpressionareallbutexpunged,andthereisnoevidenceto
supportthenotionthatdresscodesareasolutiontobullying.Onthecontrary,therestrictive
schooluniformssolutionhasthepotentialitytopromotebullyingasonesizeorstyledoesnotfit
all.Thisthreattostudentsindividualityandcomfortreapsnobenefits.Studentsareresponsible
enoughtomaketheirowndressingdecisionsbasedontheirpersonalcomfort,andschools
shouldnotberestrictiveofit.
UniformsProCon.org1).Schooluniformsareunhealthy.Theyareabandaidtryingto
coverawoundthatneedstitches.Strongdresscodesaredetrimentaltothelearningenvironment.
Schoolthatrequireuniformsarethebestexampleofthedamagestrongdresscodescancause.
Dresscodescanseverelylimitastudentsindividuality.

WorksCited
ClaudeneWharton,"CollegeofEducationResearchersConductStudyonImpactsofSchool
Uniforms,"unr.edu,Apr.23,2013
"HowDoesaStrictDressCodeCauseProblemsforKids?"
EverydayLife
.Web.19Nov.
2015.<
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/strictdresscodecauseproblemskids12
964.html
>.
KathleenKileyWadeandMaryE.Stafford,"PublicSchoolUniforms:Effecton
PerceptionsofGangPresence,SchoolClimate,andStudentSelfPerceptions,"
Educationand

UrbanSociety
,Aug.2003
"SchoolUniformsProCon.org."
ProConorgHeadlines
.ProCon.org,n.d.Web.19Nov.
2015.<
http://schooluniforms.procon.org/#pro_con
>.