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When we consider whether or not to implement a school uniform policy, we need to understand the validity of each proponent's arguments. Do school uniforms make a difference or not?
Those in favor of uniforms claim there are many advantages to instituting them: improved academic performance, student safety, student discipline, and school morale as well as a decrease in clothing costs for parents. Those who oppose this idea claim that such a policy violates the First Amendment and that educators and schools will not see the dramatic effects its advocates claim.
At this time school uniforms do seem to be making a difference. The Long Beach Unified School District (the first public school system in the country to require students to wear uniforms) is one example. Officials in the district maintain that they have seen large increases in attendance and test scores as well as decreases in crime and discipline problems among their 58,500 students. "Uniforms really level the playing field between the haves and have-nots," said district spokesperson Richard Van Der Laan. He also said the school district has sought financing from community service groups, businesses, and individuals to help poor families obtain uniforms.
According to district teachers the uniforms have created a better classroom/learning environment by curbing gang tension and the polarization associated with name brand clothing. Overall school crime throughout the district is down 36 percent; student suspensions are down 32 percent. The district required approval from two-thirds of the parents before it implemented the policy, which Van Der Laan states has spurred parent involvement.
At Whittier Elementary School in the Long Beach district, a school in a particularly poor and transient neighborhood, the uniforms have been required for five years. Student attendance has risen each year, to a high of 96 percent. They now boast the highest attendance record in the district. Whittier's Vice Principal Wendy Claflin says that the uniforms protect students from gangs and other students so Whittier students are not afraid to come to school.
Schools in Chicago, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, and Virginia have also made similar claims. A Maryland junior high school principal and his colleagues observed an increase in the number of students on the honor roll after the policy was instituted....