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Olivia Broussard
David Rodriguez
English 102
11 February 2018
School Uniforms: An Academic Blunder
With the evolution of today’s education system, school officials are beginning to force
the idea of a dress code on a large amount of public schools across the country. School uniforms
used to only be mandatory for private schools; yet now they are starting to become a staple for
other education branches as well due to the belief that enhance student education. Many school
administrators believe that school uniforms allow students to pay attention more in class,
encourage higher attendance, and crack down on gang violence. Even though school uniforms
seem appealing to school officials, they are more inconvenient than useful when it comes to
public schools.
When it comes to school uniforms, schools send out a list of guidelines relating to certain
articles of clothing that the students are required to wear to receive an education there. Most
schools offer a choice between three different colored shirts and khaki or navy pants, or skirts for
ladies; if not more. That means that parents of students must go to the store and purchase those
specific clothes separate from their children’s regular clothes in order to pacify the school
system. In today’s economy, school uniforms are quite costly. Targeted News Science in
Washington D.C. reports that “on average parents overspend on school uniforms by Pounds170
[$241.22] per child each year. Parents reported that this leads to children going to school in ill-
fitting school uniforms, being sent home from school or to families cutting back on food or other
Commented [A1]: they
Commented [A2]: Solid claim
Commented [A3]: Semicolons go between two full
sentences, like a period. This issue occurs in other places in
the paper as well.
Commented [A4]: Italics
basic essentials” (“The Cost of School Uniforms and Its Impact on Equality”). The idea of
paying such a high amount of money every year for uniforms that most students can only wear
for nine to ten months is repulsive. It is an unnecessary burden for parents of any income to have
to spend so much of their hard-earned money on “special clothes” just so their child can attend
public school.
Another major downside to uniforms is seen from the students’ perspective. Students do
not see an appeal in having to wear stuffy uniforms for the duration of their lower-level
education. With the addition of school uniforms comes the addition of more rules. When a
student is out of dress code, the school reprimands the student with detention, or any other sort of
punishment. At one high school in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, disciplinarians would take jackets
that were not uniform-approved during the winter season and hold them until a parent could
come and claim them. With the school rulebook becoming so thick, students are bound to find
ways to dodge a few of those rules that they find absurd. Author Kneia DaCosta from Howard
University conducted an investigation and reported that “Findings indicated that the
overwhelming majority of students were opposed to and non-compliant with the school uniform
policy, and that these responses were unrelated to school performance. Students developed
oppositional strategies designed to undermine the policy and to retain some semblance of
freedom and dignity” (DaCosta 49). If a teenager does not like something, they are most likely
going to find a way to defy it. For example, it is a requirement to wear specific colored polo
shirts as part of a school dress code, but students found a way to get around this by wearing a
sweatshirt so that teachers would not notice the missing shirts. Now teachers and administrators
have to take the time to stop students and ask them to show their polo collars to determine if they
Commented [A5]: This is an interesting quote, but the
connection between “overspending” and “ill-fitting”
uniforms isn’t clear. The fact that a DC publication is
calculating costs in pounds is also mysterious.
Commented [A6]: A citation is required in every sentence
where you’re borrowing information
Commented [A7]: Additional info about the size of this
investigation would help support your point
are in proper dress code. This takes precious time away from teaching, which is something that
uniforms are said to help with.
When school uniforms started to become more of a policy than an idea, it was only
thought to have it applied to students rather than everyone. Uniforms are supposed to be bland
and simple so that they cut back on distractions. However, teachers are free to wear what they
want to school; as long as it falls under professional guidelines. A teacher wearing a bright pink
and orange floral shirt with intricate designs can be a very distracting thing in a dull classroom,
yet the teacher is free from any consequences. The idea of uniforms also cuts down on student
individuality because students are unable to express themselves due to their dress code policies.
Publisher Scholastic Inc. reports that “If uniforms cut down on distractions for teenagers,
wouldn't they cut down on distractions for adults as well? Shouldn't all teachers and school
Commented [A8]: Interesting ideas
Commented [A9]: This sentence seems like a more
natural fit in the previous paragraph
