Should Public School Students Be Allowed to Make Individual Decisions About Clothing

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Should Public School Students Be Allowed to Make Individual Decisions About Clothing, Or Should All Students Be Required to Wear a Uniform?
School uniforms have for a long time been a norm in many public and private schools. Various school districts have started to realize the importance of adopting uniform requirements. These requirements have been the subject of a heated debate for students in favour of wearing a uniform. Uniform policy is important because more often a parent does not make appropriate judgements on the right attire for their children while attending school. Students’ fights often break out due to some students making fun of their peer’s dress attire in a situation where there is no standard uniform. With the uniform policy, students usually take pride in their appearance rather than what they are wearing because they wear the same clothes. In this regard, there would be a significant reduction in the arguments and fights that arise because of making fun of a fellow student’s clothing attire. I remember when I was in Ethiopia in middle school, I did not want to buy expensive clothes or keep up with the current fashion trends, and I did not pay attention when my friends were talking about clothes. I felt like I did not belong, but I did not want to buy expensive clothing just to feel included by friends. Even though a students’ individuality is important to express one’s self, uniforms should be adopted in all public schools because they benefit low income families by changing their student feeling, overall academic performance, creating the unity among the students and collective pride, encouraging the students to develop good habits, helping to prevent latest competition among the students, helping students to focus on learning apart from the fact that uniform is warm enough in the cold and contributes student safety and security.
According to Harold Mitchell, implementing mandatory school uniforms would make all the students look the same regardless of their financial status. There are considerations beyond the behaviour of the students and performance that schools should make when deciding whether to adopt a given dress code policy. More specifically, opponents of school uniforms argue that a strict dress code impose financial hardships while restricting student’s rights. Even though wearing school uniforms by students has some sensible disadvantages like imposing extra financial burdens on parents to purchase uniforms for their children other than just their home clothes, there are more benefits of students wearing uniforms than the little extra financial burden it imposes on the parents. While schools may provide subsidies to families with a low income, the remaining share of costs may still be prohibitive for these families (Sowell 18). It is however important to note that school uniforms are just not a part of the cost of education. The opponents also argue that school uniforms not a good proposal. In contrast with their ideas, schools uniforms would help make all students feel equal and comfortable. People’s standards of living differ greatly and some people are wealthy while others are not. School uniforms would promote pride and help to raise the self-esteem of students who cannot afford to wear stylish clothing. School uniforms also cost-effective. Many families are struggling in today’s economy and trying to save as much money as they can. I think all students can afford school uniforms. Students who do not wear uniforms have to wear different clothes at least twice a week. On the other hand, students who wear school uniforms have to purchase uniforms only once in a year.
Research also showed students varying opinions about school uniforms. In Nevada, 1, 350 students were interviewed at seventh and eighth grades (Wilde 6). 90% of the respondent students indicated their dislike to wearing uniforms. Different statistics, however, showed very different results. For example, 54% of all respondent students felt that wearing uniforms gave them an identity as opposed to casual clothes. Another 50% of the students reported that uniforms helped their families save money that would otherwise be used to buy extra clothing. Another 41% of the students reported that wearing uniforms contributed to the reduction of gang activities among students within their schools compared to when there were no uniforms. Discipline referrals were found to be 10% down at schools that wear uniforms including 63% less police log reports related to fights, graffiti, and gang related practices, according to data in schools and police stations compared before and after uniforms were adopted in Nevada public schools (Wilde 14).
When students wear uniforms, much effort will be shifted towards academics, but not discipline problems. Therefore, students will have the opportunity to improve their overall academic performance. Wearing school uniform in public schools, particularly in the U.S. has been a hot debate dragging for long. Research has shown that uniforms have helped to improve the students’ school attendance rate, proficiency pass rates and their graduation rate in 64 public high schools that were sampled in Ohio. The research showed that uniform was an important factor in influencing the findings shown, but it was difficult to relate the effect of uniforms to academic performance improvement due to complex factors like changing curriculum, teaching style and instructional methodology (Wilde 7).
.Those people who were against public schools uniform argues that a uniform limits students’ freedom of expression and does not create diversity. They believe uniforms restrict learners. This point holds some merit about uniforms. However, school is a place to educate students, not the place to express oneself by changing clothes daily. According to Susan MacLeod, school uniforms influence students to act with responsibility in groups and as individuals. Uniforms give students the message that school is a special place for learning. In addition, uniforms create a feeling of unity among students. For example, when students do something as a group, such as attend meetings in the school or eat lunch in the cafeteria, the fact that they all wear the same uniform would create a sense of community (Macleod 1). Society must decide if individual expression through clothing is more valuable than improved educational performance. It is important to remember that school uniforms would be worn only during school hours. Students can express their individuality in the way they dress outside of the classroom.
Wearing the same thing promotes good habits, professionalism, and at the same time leads to less hostility. Opponents argues that uniforms are boring with same clothes and same color every day but I do not agree with this statement. Uniforms are good for learning environment in school. This is based on the fact that students worried about the way they dress, thus focusing more on schoolwork, as opposed to a new fashion trend. Actually, sticking to given uniform may not be always easy, but the more a person does it, the easier it becomes as it simply translates into a habit. Ensuring that one’s uniform is ready each morning requires preparation, responsibility and time management skills. These attributes become habitual with time and are reflected in other aspects of life. In essence, every school should strive to encourage and instil good habits in their students and getting students to stick to a customary schedule is one way of ensuring that they become responsible in matters not only related to their education but also their general life. Further, school uniforms help to prepare students for summer jobs, most of which require them to wear workplace uniforms.
According to Caruso, "Uniforms also make pride among the student as they relate in a professional manner they take their school work seriously" (Caruso 1). On the other hand, even though a uniform can get boring with same clothes and same color every day, uniforms have proven to lower hostility in many schools. For example, casual clothing d...