A lot of public school systems all over the United States have implemented school uniforms to upgrade their overall school performance and to minimize negative behavior. A Standardized school attire has become a heated national debate with known experts taking a stand on each side of the dispute. And just like any issue, there are a lot of pros and cons of using school outfit experts need to consider.
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The pros of using a standardized school uniform
The most apparent advantages of using school attires are the improvement in kid’s academic performance, reduced in behavioral issues and increased in social harmony.
Improved academic performance
A lot of educators and experts believe that students who are required to wear school attire perform a lot better academically compared to students who don’t wear one. For example, a study from Walden University suggests that uniforms correlate not only with enhanced academic outcomes, but also school attires are also a contributing factor to lessen school bullying and increase the sense of safety of students in the overall school climate.
Removes unnecessary distractions
Students are sometimes so focused on the clothes they wear; it distracts them from their real goal in going to school, learning. The idea is to require all students to wear the prescribed school uniform to remove student distraction and boost their attention. Proper attire will set a harsher tone inside the school, making the place more conducive to learning and improving student’s performance in the long run.
There will be a lesser time that will be wasted
Most children spend a lot of time choosing and planning the clothes they are wearing for that day. That will change if the school will implement a mandatory school uniform. It will remove any obstacle of choosing an “Outfit Of The Day” or OOTD and allow students to spend more time on studying or a much-needed sleep. Not only that, uniforms can make it easier for kids to get ready to go to school every morning.
Teacher retention
Of of the indication of a well-run and performed school is their capacity to keep teachers on staff. When a school has a lot of teacher movement or changes, students sometimes suffer the consequence of learning from less experienced teachers or instructors. According to the study conducted by the Journal of Urban Economics, school attires under the urban setting environment will dramatically increase teacher retention.
Schools that require their students to wear proper uniforms have a much higher rate when it comes to teacher retention. Because of this, students reap all the benefits of learning under a more experienced teacher who knows the ins and outs of the educational system.
A better student behavior
It is an unspoken truth that kids who wear school approved uniforms behave more appropriately compared to kids who don’t wear one. Experts believe that school attire can give an air of a stricter atmosphere and the kids who wear them have a higher chance to follow the school’s rules and regulation.
Heightened safety
During a comparison between schools which requires their students to wear proper attire and schools who do not, Walden University found out that teachers from the uniformed school ranked their schools higher when it comes to the social environment. Unlike their counterparts from non-uniformed schools, which ranked their schools a lot lower. They also found out that uniformed schools experienced an increase in their safety and a decrease in school bullying, and an overall boost in positive social change.
Student pressure to fit in in a high-pressure environment lessen
Other kids sometimes mock kids because of their clothes and the way they dress. A lot of children use clothing to express how they fill and define their personality. This kind of definition and self-expression sometimes leads to the formation of groups or “Cliques” inside the school system.
Most students feel that they are being judged by their fellow students, teachers as well as the school administrators, according to the way they dress and what kind of clothes they wear. Uniforms will remove these kinds of factors from within the school social environment and relieving their students from all the pressure of fitting in.
According to experts, by improving the school’s social environment using a mandatory standardized dress code, both behavioral and most importantly the academic outcomes will dramatically improve.
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It will create school spirit and unity
Uniforms can create a sense of community and unity within the educational institution. And since these attires helped level the playing field for all students, they will have a huge advantage in building structure and order within the organization. It helps to make all students feel like they belong in an organized community rather than feeling left out.
Con
Strips student’s individuality
Most experts believe that the public education system is designed to strip children of their individuality. Most of them think that the system does not meet the children’s needs if they do not fall on what is perceived as normal. Requiring students to wear uniforms attempt to force them into one mold, something the system was designed according to their likeness and what they see as proper.
Experts see this as another way for the educational institution to remove the student’s individuality, were, in fact, they should be celebrating and embracing any forms of diversity. People who are opposed to requiring the students to wear school attire suggest that is not in the child’s best interest to try and control their social life, which is part of our human nature.
Many believe that the use of school uniforms will not prepare the kids for what they will be facing in the real world, in which they will be judged according to their looks and appearance. Most students also tend to purposely defy the institution’s rules on dress codes as a way to maintain their sense of individuality.
