School uniforms

[High EGT]

It’s been proven, especially in inner city schools that public schools that mandated uniforms had higher academic scores.

A Uniform Solution? - Nicholas D. Kristof - Opinion - New York Times Blog

 

[tiny_dancer33]

I really just think it's better to leave compulsory uniforms out of public school. I'm not adverse to uniforms myself - I attended schools with either uniforms (plaid skirts, jumpers for girls, blazers for boys) or dress codes similar to the one you described (khakis only, polos, dark shoes, etc.), so I'm certainly used to them. But as you said, it doesn't get rid of teasing, it just minimizes it some, and in a dress code that says polos, khakis, and jeans? Hardly anything's minimized at all. Heck, in public high school here, we have a uniform for gym - everyone wears the same shorts, t-shirts, and white socks. But people still find a way to pick on other people who don't wear their shorts in the "cool" way. Yeah, I know.

Mind you, I am referring to an elementary school but most of the children haven't complained about having to wear a uniform to a public school. They actually like wearing them. The kids are able to be themselves instead of being labled by the clothing line they are wearing.

Agreed. I liked wearing them in elementary school. I'm all for it in elementary schools. Especially since most of the "popular" things for elementary school girls to wear involve t-shirts that say things like "Brat" or "Princess" or "Hottie" or something else equally insipid, and at that age having uniformity in attire is probably the best thing socially. But I know I would have died in public high school having to wear a button down shirt and khakis daily. Enjoying differences in clothing isn't about being defined by the label or how much you paid for your purse. It's things like wearing the t-shirt for your favorite band after you went to their concert, or everyone's football jerseys the last Friday before the Super Bowl, or even just wearing a pair of bright red sneakers because you feel like it and want to stand out. Doubtless, if everyone had attended private schools with compulsory uniforms from an early age, I wouldn't feel like this about it, but the thing is most people haven't, and therefore the idea of uniforms = conformity to kids in their teen years. Instituting uniforms in public schools that don't have them already would raise a lot of ruckus and cause an awful lot of trouble for the sake of cutting down slightly on teen cattiness.

 

[tiny_dancer33]

It’s been proven, especially in inner city schools that public schools that mandated uniforms had higher academic scores.

That's a very interesting article. But most of the points in it refute the ideas that uniforms in failing inner city schools helped at all. In terms of those schools, it's a superficial solution to a much larger problem. And in southern MD, it's a superficial solution to a problem that doesn't seem to exist. After all, in the article, it mentions a suburban public high school that allows short skirts, body piercings, etc. and the students do perfectly well academically.

from article: At least in the Chicagoland area, it appears that only private schools and the “at-risk” public schools with low-income, minority student bodies require school uniforms. Why is there no need for school uniforms at the high-performing or affluent public schools within Chicago or in the suburbs?

Not saying we should allow hoochie mama skirts, but we don't do that already. If it ain't broke, don't run down to the Board of Ed and get calls from angry parents for trying to fix it.

Mind you, I'm referring to the high school and middle school level with the above. I think uniforms are very healthy for elementary schoolers, in public school or otherwise, because that's an age of social development when they really don't need added distractors of who's wearing what. But unless it's proven that there is a real need or significant advantage to having compulsory uniforms in public middle and high schools, I can't really support enacting it, mostly because of all the trouble it would cause.

 

[godsbutterfly]

MY 3 children wore uniforms in school even thru High School. I much preferred it to what I saw (and still see!) kids wearing on their own. Either some parents don't care what their kid wears (Or should I say doesn't wear?) or the kids are slipping out without being seen. That applies both here and in Virginia where I came from!

 

[jwwb2000]

I really just think it's better to leave compulsory uniforms out of public school. I'm not adverse to uniforms myself - I attended schools with either uniforms (plaid skirts, jumpers for girls, blazers for boys) or dress codes similar to the one you described (khakis only, polos, dark shoes, etc.), so I'm certainly used to them. But as you said, it doesn't get rid of teasing, it just minimizes it some, and in a dress code that says polos, khakis, and jeans? Hardly anything's minimized at all. Heck, in public high school here, we have a uniform for gym - everyone wears the same shorts, t-shirts, and white socks. But people still find a way to pick on other people who don't wear their shorts in the "cool" way. Yeah, I know.



Agreed. I liked wearing them in elementary school. I'm all for it in elementary schools. Especially since most of the "popular" things for elementary school girls to wear involve t-shirts that say things like "Brat" or "Princess" or "Hottie" or something else equally insipid, and at that age having uniformity in attire is probably the best thing socially. But I know I would have died in public high school having to wear a button down shirt and khakis daily. Enjoying differences in clothing isn't about being defined by the label or how much you paid for your purse. It's things like wearing the t-shirt for your favorite band after you went to their concert, or everyone's football jerseys the last Friday before the Super Bowl, or even just wearing a pair of bright red sneakers because you feel like it and want to stand out. Doubtless, if everyone had attended private schools with compulsory uniforms from an early age, I wouldn't feel like this about it, but the thing is most people haven't, and therefore the idea of uniforms = conformity to kids in their teen years. Instituting uniforms in public schools that don't have them already would raise a lot of ruckus and cause an awful lot of trouble for the sake of cutting down slightly on teen cattiness.

My child does attend a public school and must wear a uniform. They can wear whatever, within reason, on Fridays. It works for this particular public school. Plus for the first 8 months of the school year, they did not have a playground and the kids were fine with it as they had to come up with creative things to do during recess.

 

[jsouthan]

My daughter went to a private school for a year and it was the easiest year, as far as her getting dressed in the morning, EVER! Last year I would send her up to get dressed, then follow upstairs about 10-15 min. later and she would still be sitting there in her PJs, trying to figure out what to wear. Her uniforms were khaki or navy blue shorts, pants, skorts or jumpers. They did not have to be any particular brand and I found most of her stuff either at Old Navy or at The Children's Place outlet. For shoes, they had to have navy blue or black leather shoes, so this eliminated alot of the "trendy" shoes and issues that you would have with that. There were also rules about what kinds/how much jewelery could be worn for certain age kids. I would definitely be for uniforms... to be it just makes life much easier. I think the parents that would throw a fit are those that are out there buying their "tweens" the $200 jeans and $50 t-shirts because it's what they have to have to "be cool". If you don't buy into that crap, then it's not a problem.

 

[greyhound]

My 3 children attended a public elementary school that had a uniform program. When they attended the school had about 75% of the students in uniforms.

 

[tiny_dancer33]

I think the parents that would throw a fit are those that are out there buying their "tweens" the $200 jeans and $50 t-shirts because it's what they have to have to "be cool". If you don't buy into that crap, then it's not a problem.

While I'm sure that would be a large part of it, that's kind of an unfair generalization. I know my parents would have been against it when I was still in high school because they supported my ability to make mature decisions about what clothing I wanted to wear by the age of 14 without being told. Same as most of my friends. Obviously not all kids do that (I mean, based on what some of them wear to school), of course.

And I'm not against it on principle as much as I am on the simplicity of the status quo. Uniforms work great in a school or school system where they've already been common, like the schools I used to go to. To institute them in public schools in a system that's had free dress for so long, would take a lot of time to get in place, I think.