The Case for School Uniforms: Enhancing Focus and Equality
Some people are convinced that uniforms should be essential for all schools. Uniforms make students more organized, allowing them to focus less on their appearance and more on academic achievement. Wendell Anderson’s 2002 article, School Dress Codes and Uniform Policies, argues for the need for a dress code and school uniform for safety reasons and to eliminate social inequalities between students.
Opposing Viewpoints: Uniforms as a Limitation on Expression
However, people with an anti-uniform stance are convinced that the school dress code restricts children’s rights and expression. Moreover, Samantha Deane (2015), in Dressing Diversity: Politics of Difference and the Case of School Uniforms, states that the dress code restricts students and prevents them from interacting effectively. Today, uniforms are gradually becoming a thing of the past, giving way to freedom of expression and diversification, a positive trend in the education system. However, this policy may be applied in schools if students themselves determine that it will benefit their academic performance and interaction.
Common Ground: Balancing Safety, Climate, and Rights
Representatives of the pro- and anti-uniform positions agree that introducing a mandatory dress code or school uniform should not violate students’ constitutional rights and ability to express themselves. Anderson (2002) notes that changing the school’s dress code policy should be “justifiable, reasonable, and manageable” (p. 20). Some schools set a dress code: restrictions on what can be worn to school; others introduced a uniform policy, forcing students to wear the same clothes. These decisions were based on four primary considerations: school safety, better learning climate, higher self-esteem for students, and less stress on the family (Anderson, 2002).
Divided Opinions Among Educators
However, the opinions of education workers are divided on this issue since not everyone has noticed the relationship between uniform policy and the impact on the safety and performance of students. At the same time, the main problem was the simultaneous “maintaining a safe and effective educational environment and respecting students’ constitutional rights” (p. 13). Based on this, the dress code and uniform policy should be based not only on the school administration’s opinion but also on religious beliefs, rights, and freedom of expression for students.
Dress Codes and Student Rights: A Closer Look
One of the main arguments for people’s anti-uniforms is that the dress code limits students’ ability to express themselves. By restricting students in their fundamental constitutional rights, school uniforms do nothing to improve their performance. Students in schools with a dress code policy are often not distracted by appearance but by conforming to the school dress code for fear of punishment (Deane, 2015). Moreover, by trying to unify all students by introducing uniform policies in schools, the administration provokes the emergence of social inequality, prejudice, and discrimination. Using school uniforms to keep students safe, the school teaches them that “when and where appearances differ, danger lurks” (Deane, 2015, p. 114).
Uniforms and Social Pressure: A Source of Inequality
In addition, the same school uniform does not contribute to eliminating socioeconomic inequalities and promoting communication and interaction between students. On the contrary, “attempts to organize children who may be experiencing both distributional and recognition-related injustices” put even more social pressure on students and reduce the desire for social interaction. Thus, school uniforms and dress codes do not perform the functions for which they were implemented, which means that these policies should not be applied in schools.
Rejecting Each Other’s Arguments: A Generational Gap
Thus, these two positions reject almost all of the other’s arguments. For example, Anderson (2002) states that school uniforms protect students from school violence, including gang-related problems, robberies because of cliques, and bullying. However, it must be considered that Anderson’s article was written in 2002, when the crime and the spread of gangs were much higher. Therefore, his statements are not relevant to Deane (2015), who regards school uniforms as dividing students into “us” and “them.” In addition, freedom of expression in 2015 has become much more important than in 2002.
Student Voices Matter: Toward Collective Decision-Making
However, Anderson (2002) provides an example of a student survey about school safety. A similar survey could be conducted regarding school uniforms; since this policy applies directly to students, they should decide whether they need a school uniform. Moreover, Deane (2015) states that the school “is a place where they ought to be allowed to come together” (p. 120). The collective decision-making on issues relating to all students could contribute to the unification and communication between students, which they tried to achieve through school uniforms.
A Shift in Focus: Individuality and the Future of School Dress Codes
Even though there were previously significant differences of opinion regarding the usefulness of uniforms and dress codes, today, the focus on this issue has changed. Over the past decade, the importance of individuality and self-expression of students has increased significantly. Therefore, uniforms and dress codes began to be perceived as completely contradicting a person’s fundamental rights and freedoms. However, the students’ opinions should be decisive since the uniform policy applies to them. It should be a collective decision to establish a school dress code and facilitate student interaction and communication.
References
Anderson, W. (2002). School Dress Codes and Uniform Policies. Policy Report, 4, 3-22. Web.
Deane, S. (2015). Dressing Diversity: Politics of Difference and the Case of School Uniforms. Philosophical Studies in Education, 46, 111-120. Web.