Essay Example on Uniforms in Public Schools: The Growing Prevalence

Introduction

The uniforms prevalence in public schools in the United States continues to increase as school administrators and parents employ efforts to establish safe environments in the institutes. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 21% of public schools have implemented uniform directives (Jones, 2017). Also, the execution of institutional outfits has minimized sexual offenses by 74% as well as muggings and fights by 50% in public schools (Jones, 2017). Powered by these figures, more schools across the states have adopted uniforms in their public institutions citing safety as their crucial motivation. However, even with these reliable indicators, other statistics argue that outfits are not advantageous in institutions hence encouraging parents and school administrators to believe in wearing home clothes. Opponents of this mention research that depicts a lack of comfort and distinctiveness among students, functioning actually to minimize student success and learning. Therefore, students wearing uniforms in public schools create a safer environment, decrease violence, costs, encourage individuality, solve income disparities, and promote a community culture.

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Safer Learning Environment

In today's school atmosphere, students seem to concentrate more on clothing competition rather than studying. Several parents and school administrators believe that uniforms establish a more significant learning atmosphere in public schools. Students with uniforms do not face distractions by their appearance hence create more time studying at school. Uniforms alleviate the stylish dressing peer pressures associated with paramount brands, mainly when learners may not dress any outfit attires from name-brand firms. It enables students to concentrate more on their coursework rather than social looks, thus performing at their best capability (Jones, 2017). Besides, mandatory uniform necessities enhance behavioral and academic results. Advocates believe uniforms improve positive attitudes and student learning through advanced learning settings articulating inspiring students to have a more serious approach towards their lessons. Also, school uniforms promote equality in the learning atmosphere as education is the primary objective for students. Several students go to school to show their social status with their new fashions; mandated uniforms eliminate the competition of wearing the best clothes. Thus, wearing uniforms will increase the school climate, positively persuading the students to contribute to activities with confidence.

Uniforms are Less Expensive

School uniforms aid parents save money in buying different expensive with brand names relieving the monetary burden. According to a 2013 survey conducted by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, 86% of parents supposed that having uniforms makes spending more budget-friendly (Stockton et al., 2015). Parents may feel the stress of purchasing new outfits while trying to compete with other parents. There exist various organizations and websites that can assists parents in affording uniforms. Several parents buy home attires for their children as the weather varies throughout the year. Hence, institutional uniforms can help parents buy a certain number of outfits that dress for the entire school year. According to Stockton et al. (2015), numerous uniform pieces can be matched and mixed with prolonging the life of the bottom and tops, thus minimizing the necessity to acquisition multiples of every item. Therefore school uniforms in public schools can help students in saving time of choosing the attire to wear.

Expressing Individuality

Opposing opinions would typically argue that students will have the incapability to display their freedom of speech and uniqueness as school uniform lacks a positive influence on their academic behavior. However, uniforms improve a student's personality and enable them to express their views based on their character instead of founding it exclusively on their appearance. Scholars in uniform can still express themselves by making style, and the outfit coexists (Brookshire, 2016). In numerous dress codes, there exists a wiggle room for students in hair accessories, backpacks, and jewelry; thus, they can express themselves by accessorizing their outfits. Some school systems need uniforms to educate learners on how to respect their learning atmosphere while still permitting the learner's traits to shine through their institute's outfits. Learning, in most cases, occurs when there exists a sense of dignity and respect for administration in school. Imposing a mandatory school uniform in public institutions classrooms may become more orderly and disciplined, as outfits remind them how to behave appropriately. By displaying the school's anticipation of meeting high standards through executing instituting uniforms, there exists a more deep internalized hierarchy of administrators, tutors, and students. Thus, attendance inclines to improve, learners may act better, and tutors possess the capability to teach well in the classrooms.

Eliminating Violence

School uniforms minimize violence prevalence, which is a dominant issue for numerous public schools. Mandatory school uniforms can reduce violence within the institutional systems by maintaining children safe from modern social trends. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, during the year 2015-2016, approximately 21% of public schools in America prerequisites that students wear institutional outfits as a security and safety measure (Jones, 2017). Uniforms tend to decrease the competition and teasing of those students who wear inexpensive attires. Research conducted by the Schoolwear Association discovered that 83% of tutors believed a proper institutional uniform could stop violence grounded on economic background and appearance. Also, school attires avert students from hiding weapons under loose clothing, making it easier to maintain track of learners on field tours, and creating a more visible environment for burglars on institutions making students safer. Public schools should eliminate fittings such as bandanas, a distinguishing gang attire aspect. When it becomes more challenging to recognize gang members in the public institutions, the violence and fights rival teams tend to decrease. A study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics displayed a 63% reduction in police log reports, and they noted declines in gang activities, graffiti, student fights, and asset damage (Mahlangu, 2017). A peer-reviewed study discovered that schools with uniform rules had 12% fewer firearm linked occurrences and 15% reductions in drug connected events than institutions without uniforms (Mahlangu, 2017). The outcomes are given shows the significance of uniforms in schools. Leaners feel comfortable learning and going to school as they establish a study team and not the burdens of dressing to influence fellow peers. Reducing violence and theft within the institutional setting.

Income Disparities

Institutes bring learners together from a diversity of socioeconomic contexts. Unity creates positivity as it discloses kids to various settings and creates religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic bonds. Apart from decreasing violence for socioeconomic concerns, school attires establish a level playing anticipations field. The research proposes that when learners wear more beautiful clothes, tutors have higher hopes of those scholars ((McDaniel, 2013). It can result in instructors paying more consideration and spending significant time with those learners while abandoning other students who seem more unkempt. Also, school uniforms aids enhance school attendance as learners may feel less embarrassed about their outfits when fitted in school uniforms (McDaniel, 2013). Thus, implementing a mandatory school uniform in public schools minimizes income disparities enabling learners to focus on the studies and school events.

Promoting a Community

School uniforms in public schools promote a communal feeling which is mostly beneficial for ethnically and racially diverse institutions. Parent's primary objective for enrolling their children in public school is to help them learn under similar environments and conditions. The uniformity inclines to depict that wearing uniforms makes learners feel and look identical in school outfits complementing a learning culture. Besides, school uniforms assist students in improving their self-esteem and enhance a sense of cooperation between their fellow peers by augmenting the institute spirit (Spencer, 2013). Typically, students come from diverse contexts, and school uniforms play a significant role in generating an equal environment. In a public school system, all setting such as activities are the same for all learners, despite their gender or ethnicity serving the purpose of promoting a community culture in the institution. The mandate of school uniforms on public institutions has minimized detention, suspensions, skipping of classes, and discipline referrals between students. With the visual uniformity across all learners, the instance of institute pride has augmented. Similar to athletic player's uniforms, advocates argue that wearing the same attires upsurges unity, dignity, and a transformed pledge to the school. Therefore, with the implementation of mandatory school attires, a more proficient tone is set in an institute, encouraging learners to take their schoolwork more seriously.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, it is advantageous for students wearing a uniform in public schools as the attires eradicate pressure, competition, assaults performed by students for their possessions. They also enable some scholars to concentrate better on their educations. School uniforms in public institutions make a big difference in the education setting with all these positive results. Students wearing uniforms in public schools focus on studying without interruptions, reduce violence, and express themselves according to their personality. Therefore it is crucial to establish and enhance strategies that make it easier for the learners to embrace and adopt the school attires enthusiastically.

References

Brookshire, Attillah N. (2016). The impact of school uniforms on school climate (Publication No.2249). [Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies]. ScholarWorks.

Jones, T. Y. (2017). School uniform policy and academic, attendance, and safety: A study on the influence of school uniform policy on student achievement. [Doctoral dissertation, University of St. Francis]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Mahlangu, V. P. (2017). Implementation of school uniform policy and the violation of students' human rights in schools. Bulgarian Comparative Education Society. Eric. Retrieved July 09, 2020. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED574228.pdf

McDaniel, T. R. (2013). Making the school uniform decision: Is it right for your school? Kappa Delta Pi Record, 49(4), 162-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2013.845504

Spencer, C. (2013, October 3). What's the point of school uniform? The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/oct/03/why-wear-school-uniform

Stockton. C., Gullatt.D.E., & Parke.D.R. (2015). School uniforms: policies and procedures, Research in Middle-Level Education Annual, 25:1, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2002.11658154