What Are the Arguments in Favor of School Uniforms?
One of the chief benefits of school uniforms, say proponents, is that they make schools safer. Uniforms are said to reduce gang influence, minimize violence by reducing some sources of conflict, and help to identify trespassers. Parents benefit because they are no longer pressured to buy the latest fashions, and they spend less on their children’s clothing. Uniforms are also claimed to help erase cultural and economic differences among students, set a tone for serious study, facilitate school pride, and improve attendance (Cohn 1996, Loesch 1995, Paliokos and others 1996). Proponents also say uniforms enhance students’ self-concepts, classroom behavior, and academic performance (Caruso 1996). What Are the Arguments in Opposition? Opponents contend that school-uniform policies infringe upon students’ First Amendment rights to freedom of expression; interfere with students’ natural tendency to experiment with their identities; are tools of administrative power and social control; offer a
