Argumentative
Ms. King
English 101-400
21 April 2013
Should Students Wear School Uniforms?
The public school uniform debate has been an issue for educators, parents, and students for years now. While school uniforms are typically found in private schools, it was in 1987 that the first public uniform policy went into effect. Then in 1994, the Long Beach Unified Schools District in California adopted a mandatory uniform policy in some of its schools, making it the first urban district to do so. Though public school uniform use is not widespread it is continuously growing. The question of what students should wear to school rouses strong feelings on both sides. According to a survey that I created on SurveyMonkey.com seven out of ten parents and students agree with public school students having to wear uniforms. I as a parent agree with students and parents who are for uniforms in public schools for the following reasons: it helps with social leveling, bullying, and economics.
Social leveling is the first reason why I agree with students wearing school uniforms. This policy makes all the children at school equal regardless of their family background or income. If students are able to choose their own clothes then the more fortunate kids compete to show off their expensive designer labels and costly sneakers. Children from families that are not as fortunate get picked on for not being able to afford lots of pricey outfits. I recently read an article about a woman name Mary Burgess who as a student wore uniforms. Mary now is an adult who has children in the school system wearing school uniform. Mary, now an administrator in the school system made the comment:
The uniform sets you apart, but it also makes you equal in the sight of God. That's part of the whole thing about uniforms. It doesn't matter how much people spend on their clothes. It's what's on the inside that matters. (Burgess) A second reason I agree with the wearing of uniforms in public schools is because it can reduce the amount of bullying. Kids being picked on for what they are wearing can lead to a lot of other issues such as low self-esteem and the pressure to want and have the designer things as well. The uniforms help students realize that a person’s personality traits and unique gifts go deeper than the clothing they have on. The last reason I feel so adamant about student wearing uniforms is due to economical issues. School uniforms tend to be cheaper than letting children choose what they want to wear to school. Young people feel peer pressure to dress in the latest things and not wear the same outfit often. This leads to their parents having to spend hundreds of dollars on clothes each year. With uniforms taking away this pressure, there is usually a much smaller overall cost for the parents. Families who are hard-up can often get help with the cost of uniforms in some schools but when it comes to buying regular clothes that type of assistance is not available. The average house hold spends $234.51 on jeans, shirts, and other types of clothing. They also spend $109.75 on shoes and $98.37 on school supplies according to a survey done by the (NRF) The National Retail Federation conducted in 2010. You can view the survey and this info at www.NRF.org. Buying uniforms is not as costly where you can buy solid color polo for $5-$7 and solid khaki pants for $10-$15.
There are students and parents that feel different about public schools wearing uniforms. After doing the survey I conducted, 30% of the students and parents opposed uniforms for some of the same reasons I feel that students should wear them. From the research I have done reading articles, surveys, and speaking with parents and students they felt that school uniforms were not really a social leveler. Students will always find ways to tease or bully others regardless of what clothes are worn but by their hairstyles, height, or weight. They also expressed it was a form of punishing kids from being individuals and feel that uniforms violate the fundamental right of ‘Freedom of Expression’. They want free thinking and expression for children to make them thinkers of tomorrow rather than meek followers. It also lowers the scope for personality development and self discovery; in order to know your place in the world around you, you need to see how you fit in it. A school uniform (with all its uniformity) could be a hurdle in the path of niche creation and self discovery. Some of the parents really expressed how it really would not help them out economically. Uniforms can be just as expensive as buying regular clothing depending on the brand of uniform you buy and where you purchase them. Also it is not as if children will not need other clothing also for the evening, weekends, and holidays. Parents feel they would be buying two sets of clothing for their kids during the school year. That would add to whatever financial strain they might have and unnecessary cost when they could just go shop for clothing. Their children could wear the clothes year- round and for any occasion whether it is school related or not.
The public school uniform debate has been an issue for educators, parents, and students for years now. I as a parent agree with students and parents who are for uniforms in public schools for the following reasons: it helps with social leveling, bullying, and economics. These three reasons to me would be very beneficial to the student’s in numerous ways and also to the parents. Long as there is a option to wear other clothing besides uniforms it will continue to be argued.
Work Cites
Cook, Stephanie. "Do school uniforms stifle expression or protect students?." Christian Science Monitor 08 Aug. 2000: 12. Newspaper Source. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Weston, Alonzo. "School uniforms or not?." St. Joseph News-Press (MO) 12 Sept. 2010: Newspaper Source. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Ayers, Kirlando. "Should Public Schools Wear Uniforms."www.surverymonkey.com. 24 May 2013. May . Print.
Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. A Writer's Reference. Seventh. Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. Print.
Paine, Charles, and Richard Sheehan-Johnson. Writing Today. Second. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 2010. Print.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The rate of schools and getting school uniforms is going up and crimes in the buildings are going down. Bullying and crimes aren’t happening within the school. According to Should Students have to Wear School Uniforms ,“When you have students dressed alike, you make them safer. If someone were to come into a building, the intruder could easily be recognized.” This statement shows that crime in school that make students wear uniforms has decreased. I think that school uniforms is an important attire to have in school to help stop crimes, to stop bullying, and time in the morning for kids. People that are against the argument could say that school uniforms don’t allow students to express themselves. These statements are why I believe that schools should have school uniforms.…
- 595 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Many Americans are oblivious to the controversy of school uniforms but it is, nonetheless, a highly debated issue among students and families. Private schools often enforce uniforms, which are standardized to indigo or khaki pants and collared shirts limited to the school colors. Many of the public schools in the United States that do not have a uniform policy, administer a dress code which the students often neglect and teachers fail to implement. Those in opposition to school uniforms argue that they remove individuality and violate the right of self-expression. However, schools should approbate uniforms as they offer many benefits for students and families.…
- 497 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Public schools across the United States have been dealing with the issue of dress codes. As of 2008, twenty-two U.S. states specifically authorized schools to institute dress codes or uniform policies (8). School boards may generally create and enforce dress code, but they must do so without violating students’ constitutional law (9). Schools are finding difficulty in enforcing their dress code among students. Parents feel as if the schools dress codes are condoning their students for expressing themselves and say that it is unconstitutional and wrong. Parents, students, and administrators all have the idea of uniforms in the back of their mind but, they will have to give up things to have them. Though a dress code for high schools students is appropriate, uniforms would be a better option.…
- 1456 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
This paper is about the issue of school uniforms and whether or not for schools (K-12) to require them. I analyzed three strong arguments from both sides of the issue. The side advocating uniforms argued that school uniforms keep students focused, which may lead to an improvement of grades. Advocates state uniforms deter students from crimes and save money for parents by relieving parents of the pressure of buying new clothes for every school year. The other side of the issue against uniforms in schools argue that uniforms threaten and infringe on student’s freedom of expression by requiring students to wear the uniforms with consequences if not hearkened. The opposition to uniforms also presented a study where the students oppose…
- 1105 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Bowen is a mother of two young daughters and a school media specialist in Buford, Georgia. Throughout the article, Bowen tries to answer the question “do school uniforms help curb violence, foster a better learning environment or promote discipline in students?” People have many different thoughts about school uniforms and if they should be required or not. “Many schools have jumped on the bandwagon despite students’ expressed concerns about their freedom of speech” (Bowen).…
- 631 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
All around the world, no matter the location, education stands to be one of the most important elements in a child’s life. Most parents are concerned that their child gets the best education possible, fits in with his or her peers, and to have the best possible experience he or she possibly can. Parents will search schools around the area they live and try to pick the best school that will give their child everything they need. However, when it comes to schools, there is one controversial issue that each school encounters, every year: whether or not the children in their school will be required to wear a uniform. In the article “The Pros and Cons of School Uniforms,” Michelle McDermott explains that 23% of schools in the United States require uniforms. Some parents want their children to go to a school with required uniforms, some parents do not want their kids to wear uniforms, and other parents could not care less on the issue. No matter where each parent stands on the issue, there will always be a few things that all parents will agree on, and that is the fact that they want their children to receive the best education they can.…
- 1233 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Many educators do not believe in the positive outcomes of uniforms. They believe it is theory that uniforms will improve behavior and social outcomes because “in reality, they don’t”. (KIDS) One of their thought against uniforms is that uniforms teach children that in order to get along everyone must fit to the same standards. Dressing every student the same gives a false idea that everyone is at the same economic level. Instead, students should be able to notice the difference of social classes in their school, and be able to get along with anyone. Another idea is that uniforms interfere with students’ rights for self-expression and limits them to different knowledge. With uniforms, a student is not able to express what their personality and likes. Also, students who choose their own clothing each school day learn to adapt to shifting social standards and learn skills that will serve them well as adults.…
- 1031 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
A school uniform is a specific design for clothing designated to be worn while attending academic classes at a school. The school context comprises grades one through twelve of public and private schools in the United States. Different schools and different grades within schools may have different uniforms, as determined by parents and school administration. In today’s society all public schools should require student uniform. These generations of school kids are more worried about how your hair looks, what name brand clothes you have on, and also what kind of shoes are on your feet. These kids are worried about all the wrong things. Instead of worrying about their peer’s attire they should be into their books. Worrying about all the wrong things can be distracting. When ones focus is on something other than what’s important can cause sidetracking. "We are under no illusions that it's a silver bullet that is going to make kids smarter," school board President Pedro A. Ramos said last week. "We do think it will improve school climate. It removes a lot of anxiety and stress from lives of our students and parents," (Johnston). To understand why this is an issue, let us look at the problem, why the problem is significant, whom the problem affects, why others’ attempts have failed, and how I propose to solve the problem. This is an everlasting debate that whether school uniforms should be worn or casual clothing is as good. And like most of the popular debate in the world it has no concrete answer, it totally depends on a person’s beliefs actually. For some it is a benefit for others a disadvantage. I believe public schools should require students to wear uniforms. First wearing school uniforms promotes good discipline. Second it reduces distractions. Thirdly it is a far less expensive to buy school uniforms than many other clothes.…
- 1332 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
For the past decade, schools, parents and students have clashed over the issue of regulating student attire. Over the last few years, cases involving an anti-Bush T-shirt in Vermont made their way through the courts, causing many to wonder whether this debate will ever be resolved. Most researchers’ state that uniforms do not help with academic performance however, improvements in attendance rates and graduation rates have been observed. School districts across the country are battling over this issue with the help of parents.…
- 583 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout the State of Florida, numerous school boards have been attempting to standardize the clothing that students wear. The school superintendents who are in favor of uniforms argue that the children who wear them will experience many benefits. Critics feel that the use of uniforms will strip identity, stifle creativity, and unnecessarily burden the families that cannot afford them. They argue that the use of uniforms has already been implemented in several long-standing social environments. The penal system uses uniforms to brand those persons who are incarcerated. Likewise, the military also uses them to separate and remove the individualism inside of the soldier. In both cases, "individual identity is stripped away and the subject is forced to conform to the same outward appearance as every other subject."…
- 1277 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
When you meet somebody, what is the first thing that you look at? As humans, we…
- 773 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Some parents feel that if public schools would enforce schools uniforms it would put a restriction on their child’s uniqueness or creativity. Although that argument is invalid, because wearing the same uniform would result in students expressing themselves through their personalities and attitude rather then pricey brand-named clothing that not every student can afford. Another argument that the individuals opposed to uniforms propose is that uniforms lack comfort. Parents say that the collared shirts can make some students itchy and that the pants sometimes don’t fit correctly so it makes the student uncomfortable, but others believe that most female students are uncomfortable wearing clothing that shows all their skin but do it because they crave attention and social acceptance. Uniforms would not cause students to be any more uncomfortable than they already…
- 1062 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Have you ever attended a school where school uniforms were mandatory? The answer is probably yes, as during the 2013-2014 school year, one-fifth of public schools in the United States had to do so. As for me, from Kindergarten until 5th grade I had to wear a school uniform. But once 6th grade rolled around and I changed schools, uniforms were not enforced. I’ve seen both sides to this story, and believe that school uniforms are a controversial subject which can be easily contrasted. Some may think that school uniforms can help students succeed, while others think that they don’t alter the success of a student at all. No matter if a school enforces uniforms or opposes them, the education of the student is most important.…
- 784 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The issue of implementing a school uniform policy has both strong supporters and opposition. This is a controversial and lingering subject facing many of our public school systems throughout the nation. This issue is so hot and controversial that when the school board of Polk County, Fl voted into effect a school uniform policy, 154 families filed a lawsuit in attempt to defend their rights ( Anderson,n.d). Yet when former President Clinton Expressed his support for school uniforms in a March 1996 speech, he was applauded by thousands (Atkins, 1996). Those in favor of uniforms claim there are many advantages to instituting them such as, a cost savings by eliminating name brand clothing, student security,…
- 1419 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
For this reason, uniform keeps students feel equal of their family situation. When students wear the same clothes; they feel in the same page. Clothes can express a lot about people and identify their situation. In addition, they do not have any space for their brain to think about who is poor or rich because everyone wear the same cloth and help to close the gap between students those who is poor and those who is rich. Furthermore, they cannot judge…
- 737 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays