Why Dress Codes and Why Now?
Arguments for dress codes and uniforms policies stress school safety.
If you were to ask administrators and teachers to prioritize a list of concerns,
what children wear to school would likely be ranked low, below funding, school
violence, and even what color to paint the walls of the staff lounge. So why all
the fuss about dress codes and uniform policies?
Clearly, as Lumsden (2001) pointed out, it is naive to think of a dress code or
uniform policy as the sole solution to the problems that plague schools.
Nevertheless, a well-conceived dress code coupled with other appropriate
interventions could have a positive impact on a school’s social environment.
Supporters of dress codes or uniform policies have compiled a long list of the
perceived advantages of standardized dress in the classroom.The list can be
shortened to four basic benefits:
- Enhanced school safety
- Improved learning climate
- Higher self-esteem for students
- Less stress on the family
Safety First
A sincere concern with safety has been the overriding impetus toward the
implementation of dress codes and uniform policies. Many educators, and also
people in the community, firmly believe that if everyone in school dresses
alike, or at least dresses similarly, there will be less violence. There is a
general perception that most students will behave the way they are allowed to
dress.
Supporters of regulated dress maintain there is a definite connection between
clothing styles and school violence. For many students, an image—or sometimes
stigma—is attached to certain styles, most notably gang-style clothing. Students
have become targets of intentional or unintentional violence simply for wearing
a particular type of shirt or cap or color combination affiliated with a
particular gang (King 1998).
A popular style, especially with boys, is baggy pants and oversized shirts. This
style is closely associated with inner-city gang members, who wear the
loose-fitting clothes to better hide weapons and drugs, which can also be
carried into schools. “Add to this the finding that one in three youth reports
easy access to handguns, and the concern for school safety becomes especially
crucial” (King 1998).
Curbing gang-related problems was the primary goal of the Long Beach (CA)
Unified School District (LBUSD) when it established its pioneering districtwide
uniform policy in 1994.
“Gangsta” is not the only style linked to violence. After the Columbine
shootings, a certain stigma was attached to students wearing black trench coats,
all black clothing, or black lipstick and eye shadow. Many school dress codes
banned black clothing and makeup. Ronald Stephens, executive director of the
National School Safety Center, stated, “In the wake of school shootings,
communities and schools are much more willing to embrace uniforms as well as a
number of other strategies to enhance student safety” (in White 2000).
Even seemingly ordinary fashions can invite violence. Children have been robbed
of their expensive shoes and killed for simply wearing the wrong jacket:
Children’s hunger to be fashionable brings another dimension to the connection
between clothing styles and school violence. Children may envy other children’s
clothing and lack the financial resources to purchase similar styles.
Subsequently, children have been violently injured or even murdered for their
designer clothes, sneakers, or professional sport-team paraphernalia. School
uniforms may reduce these occurrences. (King 1998)
Furthermore, requiring students to dress alike could send the message that they
are all on the same team. Viewing their fellow students as “teammates,” they
should be less likely to commit acts of bullying or other kinds of violence
against one another.
Enhanced Performance
Students who feel safe, secure, and free from threats of violence naturally
perform better academically. Enhancing academic performance is another argument
in favor of adopting dress codes or uniform policies.
Proponents believe that dress codes in general and uniforms in particular help
students focus on their schoolwork, instead of on what they and others are
wearing.
Dress codes prohibit the wearing of clothing that could be disruptive. As the
director of a charter school said, “It doesn’t bother me to say that we ban bare
midriffs in our school not because we think they are vulgar or offensive.... We
ban bare midriffs because we see them as unwelcome and unnecessary distractions
that can divert too much student attention from the serious intellectual work
we’re here to do together” (Northrop 2002).
Uniforms set the tone for a proper attitude toward work. Uniforms remind
students that they are in school to learn, not to make a fashion statement.
Other potential benefits attributed to uniforms that help enhance performance
include improved discipline, increased respect for teachers, increased school
attendance, fewer distractions, and improved classroom behavior (Lumsden 2001).
Peer Pressure
Dressing for success is a practice witnessed not only in the office but also in
the classroom. A flair for fashion has always paid big dividends. Clothes do
make the man, or woman. “Middle school students can sometimes be cruel. If a
child does not have the ‘right’ brand or style of clothing, students can make
life very difficult for that student” (Kahl 1997).
By removing the status that clothing labels accord some children, a uniform
becomes a great equalizer. A uniform also conceals the income of a child’s
family, thus eliminating another mark of distinction or shame. An attractive
uniform promotes school spirit and good self-image, just as athletic team
uniforms promote spirit and unity. By eliminating the preoccupation of status
brought about by dress, proponents say, students can find more productive and
creative outlets to express their individualism.
No child should become a Barbie or Ken doll to dress and undress according to
the style of the month. With children, we really ought to hold on to some
conservative old certainties—for example, the notion that how you dress is
ultimately far less important than what and how you think. That’s one message
school systems send when they require school uniforms. (Northrop 2002)
Family Values
When dress codes or uniform policies are instituted, many families realize an
immediate benefit: not having to buy so many expensive clothes for their
fashion-conscious children. Some comparisons show that the cost of uniforms is
significantly less than the cost of the latest fashions.
Many parents also welcome dress codes and uniforms because they bring added
peace to the home. If what their children wear to school is predetermined, it
becomes one less battle to fight in the morning.
Kristi Kahl, who was a middle-school teacher during the first year of the
implementation of the uniform policy at Long Beach USD, spoke of another hidden
benefit to the family, as well as to the school:
Do uniforms generate parent participation? I believe they have. It is certainly
something that almost everyone loves to talk about (whether they are pro or
con)! I think that our teachers and site administrators have had the opportunity
to meet parents who, without questions about the uniforms, might not have
contacted the school. This allows conversations about other deep issues to
develop. (Kahl 1997)
SIDEBAR
Advantages of a Standard Dress Code
In 2001, the Clarksville-Montgomery County (TN) School System surveyed the local
community concerning dress-code issues. Results of the survey revealed the
following perceived advantages:
- Diminishes exclusion of students based on what they are wearing.
- Places stronger focus on academic performance.
- Decreases opportunity for showing gang affiliation or hiding weapons.
- Reduces family tension; saves time in the morning.
- Decreases participation in violent activity.
- Leads to higher academic performance.
- Creates atmosphere of teamwork and pride in personal appearance and school.
- Promotes safety; makes it easier to identify strangers in schools.
- Increases self-esteem and reduces peer pressure.
- Most cost effective to parents in the long run.
- Reduces absenteeism.
- Puts students on a more common ground.
- Reduces discrepancies in administering dress-code justice.
SIDEBAR
Viewpoints
“I think you’re going to see an increased emphasis on more standardized dress
escalating as a result of Littleton.”
—Paul Houston, executive director, American Association of School Administrators
“Uniforms have been a great equalizer for our students and have been wonderful
both in terms of unity and discipline within the school and cost effectiveness
for the parents.”
—Connie Jo Gamble, principal, Loxley Elementary, Loxley, Alabama
“Many families in our school really support our switch to uniforms. They say
it’s easier and less expensive, and that the children look nicer. It also takes
the attention off what someone else is wearing and solves the question, ‘What am
I going to wear today?’”
—Nancy Dickerson, principal, Mattahunt Elementary, Boston, Massachusetts
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