School Uniforms: Do They Help?

Over the past two decades the number of schools in the United States switching to uniforms has been on the rise. Statistics show that in the late 1980s, less than 1 percent of schools had implemented a uniform policy, while in 2002, that number had risen to almost 11 percent.⁽¹⁾The call was made for schools to adopt uniform policies in the late 1980s when incidents of violence over designer clothing and shoes started occurring. Many opponents argue that uniforms infringe upon students' First Amendment right to freedom of expression and that they do not allow for creativity or individualism.⁽²⁾ However, in the past few years, the truth about the effectiveness of school uniforms is finally being revealed, and school districts are finally realizing that strict dress code polices can be just as effective.

Larry Thomas a former seventh-grade science teacher at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School in Palo Alto recalls how one day one of his fashion-conscious students came to the front of the class and gave everybody a "physics lesson." He explains how the student picked out a random kid in class and had him stand up. The boy's pants, which were several sizes too large barely stayed put as he got off of his chair. Thomas continues by talking about how this event opened the schools eyes and prompted them to enforce a uniform policy. For them, the policy turned out to be very beneficial, not only had made it impossible for teachers to tell whether their students were wearing boxers, briefs, panties or thongs, but it also made a significant difference to the school climate. Students who used to do nothing but focus on what other kids were wearing, instead started to spend more time working on their school work.⁽³⁾

"There's something about a student in uniform," claims Principal Rudolph Saunders, another proponent to school uniforms. Like many others, Saunders can tell that his students seem to behave better when they are all dressed alike. It is generally believed that uniforms give everybody a more equal social footing (no matter whether they come from a comfortable middle-class home or a foster-care home). Uniforms make it is harder to differentiate the rich students from the poor and because of this, Saunders has noticed that his students spend less time fighting and more time focusing on their schoolwork.⁽⁴⁾

Opponents to uniforms like David Bursma claim that even after years of doing extensive research, there is no concrete evidence to prove that uniforms make any difference in schools. Bursma says that even though some schools may claim that by adopting uniform policies most of their problems were fixed, research shows that these results are unique and that the majority of schools saw little or no change in student performance.⁽⁵⁾

David Bursma explains how contrary to popular belief, school uniforms do not actually improve children's behavior. He says that teachers tend to perceive that students are behaving better after the implementation of a uniform policy because they know what the desired outcome is. Bursma says "it's like putting on rose-colored glasses," and explains how it is just human nature for someone who is trying to make something work to lie unintentionally and say that it is working even if it clearly is not.⁽⁵⁾

Another popular belief that Bursma is quick to discount, is the thought that uniforms help in improving academic performance. Bursma claims that throughout his research, there was absolutely no evidence to prove that uniforms made a difference in the grades that students were receiving. Bursma further states how there are very few benefits to implementing uniforms in schools, and how one of the classic arguments supporting the use of uniforms is that parents have an easier time in the morning not having to decide what their child should wear.⁽⁵⁾

Students are just as divided over the issue of uniforms as are parents. Sophomore Crystal Zehner of Belleville High School believes that uniforms infringe on freedom of expression, and in a interview said, "If we were all wearing uniforms, we wouldn't be able to express ourselves." On the other hand, students like Junior LaToya Lewis of Vashon High School have grown to like uniforms. When interviewed, Lewis's opinion of uniforms seemed to be quite positive, "It's cool, I like it," she said. Although in the past the uniforms were a marker of elite status and were used primarily in private and Catholic schools, however, the symbolism of uniforms has now started to change. As the popularity of uniforms is increasing in poorer school districts, uniforms are now being viewed as a marker of disadvantage rather then of advantage.

To this day, there are constant debates as to whether schools should start adopting uniform policies. Results from recent studies (like the one David Bursma conducted) show that uniforms should not be considered a "cure-all," for some of school's biggest problems. Since the results from some schools vary from positive to negative, it cannot be determined for certain whether a school should completely adopt a uniform policy. Simply put, each school is so different, that the only way a school can know for sure whether or not to enforce uniform policy is to try it out for themselves.

With the results of recent studies showing that uniforms do not have much of an effect on schools, people are left to wonder why older studies promoted them in the first place. Bursma claims that there is a simple reason as to why earlier studies of uniforms were distorted. In the 1980s, when most of the studies were carried out, they were primarily focused on the comparison between Catholic schools (which required uniforms) and public schools (which did not require uniforms). Most researchers assumed that if Catholic schools were outperforming public schools then the reason for this must have been because of the uniforms, (which seemed to be the only major difference between the two schools).⁽⁵⁾

Most of the schools that saw positive effects on their students while they were wearing uniforms also noticed that they can achieve the same results with students wearing T-shirts and jeans, as long as a stricter dress code is in place. Several schools have abandoned the effort to try to get students to wear the golf-style shirts and khaki shorts that they recommended years ago. Their schools' academic performance, as measured by standardized exams, has progressed without strict dress-code compliance. Since academic improvement is the school system's primary focus, many school's wonder if spending time enforcing uniform policies distracts from their main mission. Dress codes ease the burden of administrators wasting time every morning disciplining students and calling parents. With dress codes, schools can spend less time worrying enforcing a uniform policy and more time worrying about educating their students.⁽⁶⁾

1. Stainbum, Samantha. "Clothes-Minded." Teacher Magazine 16.6 (2005): 14-15. Iowa AEA Online. 30 Oct. 2006
2. Dowling-Sendor, Benjamin. "A Question of Rights vs. Authority." American School Board Journal (2001): 38+. Iowa AEA Online. 30 Oct. 2006
3. Wong, Nicole C. "Educators Tighten Dress Codes to Help Students Stay Focused." San Jose Mercury News 13 Aug. 2002. Iowa AEA Online. 30 Oct. 2006
4. Viadero, Debra. "Uniform Effects?" Education Week 24 (2005): 27-29. Iowa AEA Online. 30 Oct. 2006.
5. Snyder, Susan. "Uniform Approach to Conduct." Philadelphia Inqirer 24 Sept. 2004: A1+. Iowa AEA Online. 30 Oct. 2006
6. Solomon, Lois K. "Schools Smarten Up Without Uniforms." Sun-Sentinel 30 2004 June: 1A+. Iowa AEA Online. 30 Oct. 2006