Hello, readers, and welcome back to another installment of the Education Station. We will continue to focus on issues pertaining to public education this week as we examine the pros and cons of implementing school uniforms. While the idea of strict uniform codes appears to be appealing, there are many aspects of uniforms that cause concern.

In the debate concerning the implementation of mandatory school uniforms, many people in support of the uniforms believe that crime and gang activity may be deterred by changing dress codes. While schools vary in safety, several studies back up this claim. In Long Beach, CA specifically, safety conditions for students improved exponentially, as fighting decreased by 51%, sex offenses

decreased by 74%, and possession of drugs decreased by 69%. In this area specifically, school uniforms have clearly made a major difference in improving the environment of the school. The safer the environment for students, the more likely they are to be focused, and the better that they learn. School districts with gang activity can especially benefit through the implementation of school uniforms.

While school uniforms worked in Long Beach, they may not necessarily work for every school district. If a district does not have a major disciplinary problem, then school uniforms may be seen as unnecessary and potentially harmful to the learning environment of students. One of the major issues that is caused by school uniforms is the problem with free expression for students. At schools in Toledo, OH, students wear a limited color palette to avoid distracting colors from hindering student learning. By doing this, the school administration is limiting student expression.

An extremely critical aspect of student expression is the clothes that students choose to wear. By taking this form of expression away, students may struggle to build their own identities as they develop throughout their scholastic careers. It is paramount that students are free to express themselves in an open learning environment, and school uniforms may cut down on students’ abilities to do this. School is about developing students’ characters as well as fostering a positive learning experience, and school uniforms could hinder these goals.

Contrary to this, supporters of school uniforms believe that the uniforms support student character by minimizing the importance of clothing in students’ lives. French Toast, a school uniform company, believes that school uniforms can improve students’ learning environments by “taking the competition out of dress”. Their company believes that students spend too much time, effort, and money attempting to impress other students with their outfits. If these students instead spent far less money on school uniforms, they would be free to use the money on interests that they are passionate about, thus developing their personalities much farther than a new wardrobe.

While this approach makes sense, I find it suspicious that a company that profits from selling school uniforms supports school uniforms. A much more convincing approach involves the alleviating of bullying and shaming for having cheaper or different clothes than other students. Bullying in public schools is an epidemic, considering 160,000 students stay home from school due to bullying each day. This bullying is usually due to students being seen as different from their peers. Understandably, the way that students dress can cause a lot of ridicule from other students. If a student doesn’t wear trendy brands like Hollister or Abercrombie, then they may be looked down on by other students, severely affecting self-confidence. This can majorly hinder students’ learning, as is seen with the massive number of students that stay home from school each day.

I can certainly attest to the sentiment of clothing playing a major role in determining students’ status in school. If a person was not wearing the current clothing trends at my school, then he or she was looked down upon. This often lead to students spending vast amounts of money on purchasing clothing that went out of style a year later (i.e. plaid shorts). In this sense, clothing has very little to do with expression, and much more to do with conforming to peer pressure.

Despite these many reasons for school uniforms, I believe that the main issue with their implementation lies in freedom of expression for the students. The scholastic system praises independent thought and expression, and school uniforms run counter to this goal. Although I understand the many issues that can be solved through mandatory school uniforms, I question whether it is worth sacrificing the rights of the students to improve scholastic conditions. The aim of the school system is to teach students to develop their individual identities and educate them in the best possible way. I feel that sacrificing one goal for the other may be warranted in certain conditions, but the issue of school uniforms is best solved in a case-by-case basis.

Thank you for reading. Let me know if you have any education-related civic issues that you want to discuss. Stay tuned for next week’s edition of the Education Station!