Do school uniforms work?
Long the exclusive regimen of parochial and private schools, school uniforms are relatively new in the public education system. The first public school district to implement a system-wide school uniform policy was Long Beach Unified School District in 1994. Results vary by school, but these positive changes are not the exception. A 2000 survey of the National Association of Elementary School Principals reported that 67 percent of principals in schools with uniforms saw an improvement in their students’ concentration level, 62 percent saw a positive effect on school safety, and 40 percent believed uniforms helped to improve attendance. Are school uniforms costly? Actually, school uniform wardrobes can cost parents significantly less than they would spend on other clothing and can be very cost effective over the long run. The cost of a standard school uniform wardrobe for a school age child can be as low as $100 to $150 for a single school year. Conversely, the cost of outfitting a child
