School Board Update March 2005

Uniform Dress for our students? 
Under the current proposal, all students would wear the same type of clothes, “Uniform Dress”, rather than an actual uniform.  The clothes would probably be something like khaki pants and a collared shirt, navy, red or white. 

My initial thoughts are that this could be good for students, parents and the learning environment.  Proponents believe that Uniform Dress will lead to improved discipline, attendance, self-esteem, and even academic achievement.  Some studies undermine those claims (See: http://www.gate.net/~rwms/UniformBrunRock.html).

I certainly don’t think uniforms are a panacea for all the troubles in our schools, but I do think they can reduce the pressure on students to dress a certain way, can minimize the differences in appearance based on a family’s income, and can be less costly. 

I taught at a high school that had uniforms and I thought it had some un-quantifiable positive effects.  I think it helped students take school more seriously.  As a teacher the uniforms helped me focus on the students’ faces and individual behavior, rather than clothes. 

Opponents of Uniform Dress worry about suppressing individuality, about how low income families could afford a new wardrobe, and enforcement.  Those are valid concerns, but do not in my mind outweigh the potential upsides.

If the community supports the idea of Uniform Dress I think it is worth pursuing.  So far the level of support is unclear.  A parent survey was conducted, in a somewhat haphazard manner, earlier this year.  Approval rates ranged from 30-70%.  Response rates varied from 6-64%.  There will never be consensus on an issue like this, but I think we need to have more public input before proceeding. 

What do you think?  I’d certainly appreciate your thoughts on this subject, pro or con.  If you favor Uniform Dress, do you think we should pilot it in a few schools first and then launch it county-wide later?  For those of you who are interested, I’ll send a summary of your responses back in a later email. 

Thanks in advance for your feedback,

Indya

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