The Debates About School Uniforms
The debates about school uniforms are a common occurrence today as many students and parents clash with schools about their significance. People seem to hold different opinions when it comes to uniforms in schools. While some students and parents prefer normal dressing in school, others desire school uniforms as a requirement in schools. Each school has a unique set of requirements when it comes to the attires they allow in school. Some schools have no problem with casual attire, but others demand uniformity as a prerequisite for their students. Schools are learning institutions, with rules and regulations for the students. A school Uniform is an element that distinguishes learning institutions from other organizations. The uniform maintains the decorum of an academic institution and provides an array of benefits for the students. Thus students should wear uniforms to school.
The Relevance of School Uniforms
The contestants of the relevance of school uniforms of school highlight some compelling reasons for their position. Mergler posits that when schools provide authoritative conditions to students, they repress their cultural diversity and identity. The resistance against school uniforms did not start today. From 1960 to 1970, many students developed resistance towards dictatorial practices in schools and wearing school uniforms (Mergler). Students believe that wearing uniforms is oppression that limits their self-expression. Students have the right to self-expression and individuality. They practice self-expression through the attires they adorn, facial decorations, and their hairstyles. When children become adolescents, most desire the independence to make choices that define who they are in society (Mergler).
The Cost of School Uniforms
Additionally, Venegas asserts that uniforms are too expensive for parents, an option that makes it hard for them to support. Paying school tuition fees and adding extra costs about uniforms is an additional expense that many parents are not ready to shoulder. For example, the uniform tops cost $26.99, vest $35.99, uniform bottom $34.99-$44.99, pullovers $39.99 (Venegas). Parents have to spend close to a total of $183.95 per child in Elementary School. A parent has to spend more as their child advances in education. Parents who have more than one child in school spend more on uniforms. Moreover, most children are not careful with their belonging. Sometimes they lose or stain their uniforms thus parents have to buy extra uniforms (Venegas). Some parents cannot afford to purchase uniforms for their children. High costs mean that many parents cannot meet the expense of buying uniforms, so their children cannot attend school because they do not have school uniforms. Venega's arguments hold water since school uniform should not be an item that prevents a child from getting an education when the parents cannot manage to buy.
Benefits of School Uniforms
While some students are skeptical about the importance of school uniform in their education, some are quite optimistic about the benefits they will reap from being part of an institution that allows uniforms. For example, Macy Vallance, an eight-year-old student, states that she loves her school uniforms, as the dressing does not leave anyone out (Spencer). Macy's statement shows that school uniforms make people feel like they are part of an institution (Spencer). A uniform is a form of identity that places an individual as a member of a particular organization or institution. When students dress in casual attires to school, it is hard to identify the school they attend. Uniforms set children apart from others and inform the public about the identity of the school (Spencer). Apart from the identity of the school, when wearing a uniform, students feel that they belong to the academic institution as it instills a sense of pride for their school. Also, school uniforms create a community within the school and reduce the chances of peer pressure when it comes to the choice of clothing. When each person in a school has the same outfit, students are happy, as they do not have to worry about their appearance (Spencer). Peer pressure, anxiety, and bullying are some of the effects of casual attires. Some students bully and insult others because of their dressing code. Some students come from well-off families, and it is not hard to spot them in designer labels and expensive clothing. Expensive clothing in school brings about unhealthy competition and anxiety among other students who cannot afford to wear like their peers. Other students will pressure their parents to buy them the exact or pricey clothes, while others will develop low self-esteem when fellow students constantly pick on them due to their fashion choices. Spencer affirms that approximately 160,000 students fail to attend school each day in America due to fear of intimidation or attack from other students. Uniforms will reduce the number and rate of bullying in schools associated with the dressing code. Students who come from families with financial difficulties will not feel bad when they cannot afford the latest trends in clothes or if they still wear clothes that were out of fashion three to four years ago.
School Uniforms and Academic Performance
Baumann and Krskova, on the other hand, conducted a study to ascertain the relationship between school uniforms and academic performance. The researchers tested noise levels, teacher waiting time, class start time, students listening well, and students working well between students who wore uniforms to school and those that did not. The findings of the study indicate that there were differences in school discipline among the students. Baumann and Krskova affirm that students who wear uniforms to school every day have lower teacher waiting times and that they listen to their teachers better. Baumann and Krskova research affirm that school uniforms, when students follow the discipline rules schools provide, they always perform better. A school uniform is part of the school regulations, contributes to better discipline among students, and allows better learning. Baumann and Krskova recommend that schools that do not have the uniform policy should adopt it and ensure that children comply in wearing school uniforms where they are wearing them.
Affordability of School Uniforms
School uniforms can cost a lot for many parents since most of the pieces are expensive. Some parents are against wearing school uniforms due to the additional costs they incur in schools. However, the price of uniforms will no longer be a hindering factor to students wearing uniforms. For example, according to Spencer, the education ministers in England issued a directive that sought to end the single uniform supplier practice. Parents will have the option of shopping for school items in different shops with prices that are favorable to them. The minister also stated that when making changes in school uniforms, for instance, about color, the changes should apply to two or one item. Restricting the items for change will ensure parents do not spend more when buying school uniforms. The restriction on the change procedures and the supplier's policy allows affordability and ensures that students stick to uniforms in schools. Parents will no longer complain about the affordability.
School Uniforms and Academic Performance
Moreover, Vashni, Cortez, and Severo posit that a school uniform has a direct impact on the academic performance of students. The study that Vashni, Cortez, and Severo conducted examined the impact of school uniforms have on learning institutions. Uniforms do not have a direct impact on academics and performance of students. However, school uniforms improve behavior discipline and conditions in daily school activities that foster a good environment for better academic performance. Vashni, Cortez, and Severo assert that school uniforms prevent students from forming gang groups in school. The uniform lessens the peer pressure that students have for buying new clothes and constantly flowing with the trend of fashion. Third, school uniforms act as an identity for the school hence make it easy to spot intruders. Finally, school uniforms increase attendance rates of students in schools. The research also indicates that schools that have uniforms record higher attendance and graduations and a reduced number of suspensions in schools. From this study, it is clear that school uniforms have positive benefits for many students. They reduce the distractions students have about fashion ideas and ensure that students focus on their studies. Educational centers that have school uniforms as a requirement have better results in academics and achievements.
School Uniforms and Individuality
Palmer argues that a person's individuality is not an item that a school uniform can take away. Many opposers of school uniforms vow that school uniforms limit and reduce the individuality and self-expression of students. Conversely, a student despite the attire they adorn has a unique way of expressing personal views and their identity. Clothes are a small part of a person's individuality that cannot affect self-expression. Students have other ways to express their personal views and identity. Academic achievements and sports are some of the ways that students can illustrate their individuality. For example, Palmer says that he met several students in school uniforms and could see how each student had adopted the uniform to their moods and personality. Uniforms provide the student with endless channels and medium for students to express their personality.
Conclusion
Parents, students, and education institutions will continue the never-ending debate about the relevance of uniforms in schools. Different people have different opinions about the reasons they prefer or argue against uniforms. However, research proves that school uniforms are beneficial to students. Uniforms increase discipline, reduce bullying, lessen peer pressure on fashion trends, and increase students' focus on studies. School uniforms do not directly dictate better performance in students but create a favorable environment that fosters better academic performance. The uniforms create an identity for the students and the educational centers, thus increasing their safety as it becomes easier to protect students outside and inside the school. Several countries have put measures to reduce the price of buying school uniforms to ensure that it will not become an extra expense and a hindrance for students to attend schools. Schools and parents should promote the adoption of school uniforms as they have a positive impact on the life of a student.
Works Cited
Baumann, Chris, and Hanna Korsakov. "School discipline, school uniforms and academic performance." International Journal of Educational Management 30.6 (2016): 1003-1029.
Mergler, Amanda. "Why Do Schools Want All Students to Look the Same?" The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2017, theconversation.com/why-do-schools-want-all-students-to-look-the-same-75611.
Palmer, Mark. "School Uniform Doesn't Stifle Creative Expression… It Positively Encourages It." The Spectator, 8 Sept. 2016, www.spectator.co.uk/2016/03/school-uniform-doesnt-stifle-creative-expression-it-positively-encourages-it/.
Spencer, Chloe. "What's the Point of School Uniform?" The Guardian, 31 Oct. 2017, www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/oct/03/why-wear-school-uniform.
Vashni, John, Samantha Cortez and Ivan Severo. "Dress for Success: The Correlation Between Uniforms and the Academic Performance of Adolescents in the United States." Semantic Scholar, 2018, pdfs.semanticscholar.org/presentation/0b31/596fabfe81c592416074afbb54259e49f73a.pdf.
Venegas, Kaitlyn. "Students Shouldn’t Have To Wear School Uniforms | Learningin21." Learningin21 | Living, Laughing " Learning in the 21st Century, 28 Mar. 2014, learningin21.edublogs.org/2014/03/28/students-shouldnt-have-to-wear-school-uniforms/.
