Do School Uniforms Impact Learning?
One aspect of school that doesn’t always come to mind immediately is uniforms. Some say that having uniforms is better for the students’ education and helps them learn better, and others argue that not having uniforms and letting students express themselves creates a healthier school environment. According to greatschool.org, one pro of having uniforms is that they “help prevent gangs from forming on campus”. Because all the students are dressed the same, no group of students can create a gang since there is no way of expressing that they are a part of the gang. Another pro is “encourag[ing] discipline.” Since all the students are dressed the same, they feel that they are a part of a group and often don’t act recklessly if there is no encouragement. Additionally, uniforms “help students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothes,’’ since uniforms are determined by the school and all students have to wear them, no one can feel left out of a fashion trend or succumb to peer pressure because of the clothes they wear. Uniforms also “help identify intruders in the school”, since all students are wearing the same outfit, it is much easier to pick out the ones who don’t match, which could be very important when an unknown intruder enters the school. Lastly, they “increase a sense of belonging and school pride” (Wilde) they make the students feel as if they are a part of the school and not like an outsider. However, there are two sides to this idea.
Many believe that the cons of having school uniforms outweighs the good. These cons include “violat[ing] a student’s right to freedom of expression” (Wilde). Since students are told what to wear every day, they don’t have the opportunity to express their feelings and personalities through their clothing, which could lead to pent up emotions that can cause other issues such as bullying. In fact, another con is that uniforms “are simply a Band-Aid on the issue of school violence.” Since some believe that the introduction of uniforms can reduce instances of bullying , many schools use this policy to hide or cover up underlying issues of school violence. Uniforms also “make students a target for bullies from other schools.” Since uniforms are specific to a school, if one student from a school with a uniform gets into trouble with another student from a different school, the second student could give the school with uniforms a bad name, thus subjugating all students with that uniform to unfair treatment. Furthermore, uniforms can be expensive, thus placing “a financial burden for poor families,” because each student must buy and maintain multiple pairs of clothing to wear to school. Another opinion that some people have is that uniforms “are an unfair additional expense for parents who pay taxes for a free public education.” These individuals feel that since public education should be free, they shouldn’t have to pay for uniforms that are mandatory. Parents always want their kids to have the best education possible, however if they aren’t financially stable they may not be able to afford the uniforms that come with a supposedly free public education. Another major factor that mainly affects schools is that uniforms “are difficult to enforce in public schools”(Wilde). Since there isn’t much schools can do to get their students to wear uniforms, enforcing the rule without forcing their students to give up their freedom of expression is a difficult task.
Many, if not all, schools in Japan have uniforms in which their students must wear. However, most students in Japan add little things to either their outfits or their backpacks to showcase their individuality. Maiko Covington, a high school student in Japan, stated in an interview with PBS Newshour Extra that some of the ways that students tried to alter their outfits were to “make your skirt really long or really short… make the black uniform pants really big, and the jacket long with a super high collar…[wear] cute socks with pictures on it instead of white ones, [wear] white shirts of a pattern different from the school one, [or wear] cool sneakers” (pbs.org). Although many of the things that students did to alter their uniforms or their appearances may have been unacceptable in Japan, they show that having uniforms doesn’t completely take away all of the freedom to express oneself.
When uniforms were first introduced to America, they were used in the Long Beach, California school district in 1994. While the uniform policy was active, data was collected to show how the addition of uniforms affected the crime rates in the area. What the research found was that “a year later, according to the district, school fights and muggings there went down 50%; sexual offenses declined 74%” (pbs.org). Despite this evidence, there are still debates on whether school uniforms are a necessity or just a waste. However, since then, around 175 schools have joined in having uniforms added to their schools. These uniforms were not always mandatory — some allowed students to opt out for personal beliefs, and others made uniforms completely voluntary (pbs.org). Because there are many different individuals with different beliefs, having uniforms may not align with some students’ beliefs. Therefore, by making uniforms optional for individuals who may not feel comfortable because of religion, schools create an open and safe environment for all their students.
The decision of whether or not to have uniforms is up to each district and their feedback from parents, teachers, and students. They may be a good idea for some schools and not a great one for others. Overall, the usage of uniforms depends on the comfortability of those who wish to, or don’t wish to wear them.
“School Uniforms: the Debate.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 12 Oct. 1999, www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/1999/10/school-uniforms/.
Wilde, Marian. Do Uniforms Make Schools Better? 25 Apr. 2014,
www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/school-uniforms/.
Victoria Lipkes goes to Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad CA. She went on the Costa Rica GPL trip with IvyMax during the summer of 2019 and joined EPIC when she came back home to see how she could expand on what I had done in Costa Rica.
