Let me begin by saying that I am not completely against school uniforms. As a mom of three children I have to agree that having uniforms does take some of the stress out of our mornings. Especially when it comes to my middle child, who thinks that a paisley red shirt, green plaid shorts and a blue belt look just fine – and don’t even think about getting her to brush her hair. For the most part, my kids know what they have to wear, so they just do. End of story. But, sometimes the path of least resistance isn’t always the best road to take.
Our area schools introduced school uniforms about ten years ago. Initially I would guess that most parents were in favor of the change. It did seem like having that one less thing to worry about in the morning would be nice. Even if the kids weren’t happy, after hearing the arguments for uniform policies, most of the moms and dads probably were. But, now that I’ve been there, done that, let me tell you about some of the realities.
You’ve just enrolled your child in school and you are given the uniform policy – time to go shopping. You’ll need to buy khaki pants – but not just any khaki pants. The pants can’t have any cargo pockets and must have belt loops. Oops, not those – see that Hilfiger flag on the back pocket? That’s a no go. Okay, now find all of these requirements in your daughter’s size – 14 slim long, right? You should have no trouble finding that.
Now shirts. They have to be blue with a polo type collar. Not light blue, not navy blue – only royal blue. And forget about buying any with a Polo horse or Aero butterfly on the chest – no brands, logos, or emblems are allowed. And don’t forget how picky your child is. If the shirt comes un-tucked when she raises her arms or the fabric is itchy, she won’t wear it.
Okay, so you somehow managed to find several shirts and pants at an affordable price, now you’ll need a few other things. Socks – they can only be black or white. A belt – only brown or black, and no metal grommets, decorations, or colored buckles. White undershirts – because they can’t wear colored or printed ones and the fabric of the polo shirts is quite thin. Oh, and don’t forget, it’s getting cold outside, so she’ll need a coat – but it has to be solid black or blue – and thin enough to fit in her locker. Oh, and it gets a bit chilly in the classroom, so she’ll need a sweatshirt or sweater – maybe two, in case one gets dirty.
Oh, and one more thing – on the weekends and after school – she’ll need an entire second wardrobe because she won’t want to look at a uniform! Then do this two more times for your other children and you’ll be set to go – that is until one of them grows a foot next week. Oh, and you’re military, so you’ll be moving in six months and the next school might use red shirts and navy pants.
So, that’s the logistics from the parents’ side. But, how about the effects on the kids themselves? I certainly can’t speak for all, but I’ve talked to many students and they hate uniforms. The adolescent years are a time of self expression, a time of discovery. How can you discover yourself when everyone looks just like you?
Every generation has had or done something that made their elders cringe. Whether it be the Beatle’s long hair, mini skirts, bell bottoms, bro-hawks, or man-scara – kids are going to push the envelope. I happen to think that the more we push them down, the harder they are going to climb back. Have you ever seen a dog after it has been in a cage for eight hours?
Rebellion is a normal part of childhood. When you take away the clothing aspect of self expression, kids are going to replace that with another type of rebellion. I would rather my child rebel by wearing torn jeans or having pink hair than by smoking or having sex. But wearing torn jeans leads to more risky behavior, you might say? Then let’s look at some statistics…
Many school uniform policies were developed after a report was published in 1994. The Long Beach, California, school system began requiring that students wear uniforms and the district recorded a drop in suspensions, assaults, thefts, vandalism, and weapon and drug violations and an increase in attendance. This became the holy grail for uniform supporters. When school violence became prime time news in the mid 1990’s even Bill Clinton was jumping on the school uniform band wagon.
But then some other studies were done that seem to have been overlooked. In 1998 a two year study of 8th graders by Brunsma and Rockquemore had different findings. They found that school uniforms were not significantly correlated with any of the school commitment variables such as absenteeism, behavior, or substance abuse. In fact, they even found a negative effect on student academic achievement. After two years in uniforms, the 10th grade students had almost a 3 point decrease in standardized test scores – which could also have been attributed to the fact that the students were found to be absent more often.
I would venture to say that most evidence supporting or opposing uniforms is anecdotal. In the U.S. Department of Education’s Manual on School Uniforms the only evidence for uniforms given is the Long Beach study and few quotes from other schools officials like, “demeanor in school has improved,” or “the children feel good about themselves.” Well, just how do they measure or prove that?
One researcher, Behling, in 1997 even found that uniforms have a sort of “placebo” effect on schools. She found that teachers and students believe that uniformed students are better behaved and more academically successful than students who do not wear uniforms. If everyone looks as though they have conformed, than the impression is their actions and behavior has conformed also – even if it hasn’t.
But is conformation really what we want to teach our children? Isn’t part of educating our children, teaching them to think for themselves and make positive decisions? Uniforms could even mask when a child is having a problem. A big red flag goes up when a student suddenly begins wearing goth clothing or is sent to school in shorts in mid-December. Clothing can be one of the biggest indicators of issues like depression, drug use, and even child abuse. Things like this could easily be missed under the cover of a school uniform.
Some argue that uniforms put students on a more level playing field by removing the stigma of designer clothing. But, students can see right through this. Even without labels, teenage girls know when pants were bought at Abercrombie versus K-Mart. The wealthy students wear every permissible accessory, from expensive shoes to diamond earrings to false nails.
It is human nature to judge our peers by their appearance. Caprara and Cervone in 2000 wrote that “The role of personality is vital when teenagers create peer relationships. When forming these relationships, individuals investigate others’ personality dynamics as well as what they can achieve within that relationship. Individuals make distinctions among one another by their ‘surface tendencies.’” This is somewhat akin to the way dogs sniff each other. We can’t kid ourselves into thinking that humans will ever not be judgemental. Like is attracted to like. It’s a security measure to find a peer group that is “like you.”
Another argument I’ve heard is that uniforms take away from clothing induced “distractions.” Yes, I agree that a new hair cut might spark a 20 second discussion in the hallway, but when 30 students are sent to the office to call their parents in a single morning for forgetting their belts, who has caused the distraction? When a girl is sent home and misses a math test for wearing a red undershirt, who caused the distraction? When a boy misses a lecture on the periodical table because he is pulled out of class and sent to detention for wearing a Fubu jacket, who caused the distraction?
Perhaps certain clothing restrictions are for protective reasons – such as to deter carrying weapons to school, but a report in 2000 by the Dept of Education stated that physical attacks without a weapon, theft, or larceny, and vandalism are much more common in schools than are the more serious incidents. Is a polo going to protect anyone when a punch is thrown? In fact, according to the National School Safety Center, in both 2008 and 2009 only one homicide at a school was reported in both years. I agree that one death is one too many, but do 76.6 million student in the U.S. need to change their manner of dress because of ONE homicide?
Now, I’m definitely not advocating giving our children free reign. I don’t think kids should go to school in a bikini top or with their pants sagging to their knees. Children rebel because they crave boundaries. But, we need to ask ourselves if our boundaries have gotten a little too tight. Our students are children, not prisoners.
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