The Milligans

Connor: Age 10
"I like uniforms because they keep you cool
when your'e playing at recess."

Riley: Age 9
"I like uniforms because my favorite color is green."

Griffin: Age 7
"I like uniforms because they have
a cross on it."

        

Brady: Age 6
"I like uniforms because my brothers like uniforms."

I conducted a little experiment to see how much it would cost to buy uniforms versus casual clothes for a boy boy around the age of 7. Turns out $21.47 can be saved by purchasing a standard uniform compared to purchasing a pair of jeans and a flannel at The Children's Place. This is the reason uniforms are mom's best friends!

Uniforms in the military

My good friend Matt attends Camden Military Academy. Obviously as a military school they are required to wear military uniforms every day.
Professional settings such as the military utilize uniforms because of the serious attitude that it creates. Similarly, students would be put in the same mindset at school when they are dressed in uniform.

This is an example of what Matt wears to class everyday.
Matt has reported that they are trained to respect their uniforms
and disciplined when they mistreat their uniforms. Because of this
he has a more serious attitude when he is in uniform, helping him to focus on
his work.



This is the attire that Matt and his peers wear to parade.
This is a more serious occasion, hence the reason for
their more professional attire. This is yet another example of how
attire plays a role with occasion and attitude.

 
 
 

Case study of Long Beach, CA High School

One school with a uniform policy is Long Beach High School, who has seen improvements in their school after adopting uniforms in 1999.
The graph above represents the relationship between school uniforms and violent offenses at Long Beach High School. Dramatic changes were seen in the students' behavior once uniforms were put into action. Rates of vandalism decreased, which saved the school from spending thousands of dollars on repairing damaged property.
Also, since sex offenses and the overall crime rate dropped, the school became safer resulting in a better environment. With a better environment, student's behavior progressed which led to a decrease of school suspensions.
As indicated in this graph, it is clear that this high school has improved in many areas due to school uniforms.

Becoming more professional

"Schools report that when students dress in 'work clothes' rather than 'play clothes' they take a more serious approach to their studies" (Mallet par. 1)
In this picture my friends KJ and Erin and I are dressed in formal attire for a DECA competition, which is an organization that consists of applying principles of business and marketing.
In order to compete in the competition a dress or dress pants with a blazer is required. For boys, a suit, tie, and blazer is required.
You are also required to wear the business attire to school. With Mallard Creek's DECA chapter consisting of over 200 members, the school is full of students wearing professional clothing on the day of the competition.
That day I noticed a different atmosphere in my classes. It was as if everyone was more subdued and serious because of their clothing. This is the exact reason professionals wear formal attire to work and special occasions.

My experience in school uniforms

Yes, that is me bottom left.....
I know, cutest kid you've ever seen right?
I attended Nathaniel Alexander Elementary for Kindergarten and was then rezoned to another school for the rest of my elementary school years. I was very young at the time so I cannot give a very detailed explanation of my experience in uniforms; however, what I can testify is that at age 6 I did not think anything of the uniforms.
I was perfectly fine with wearing the khaki shorts and white or navy shirt every day. In my little 6-year old mind I did not see the differences between me and the other kids because it was as if I was color-blind. My eyes saw only khaki, blue and white, not black, white, rich, or poor. We were all leveled onto the same playing field. I didn't worry about who had the coolest shoes, I only worried about what I would be having for lunch that day.
I thought that every kid on the planet wore uniforms and that uniforms were completely normal, until I went to Mallard Creek Elementary where we didn't have uniforms. At that age your mom is the one that pays for all your clothes and dresses you every morning, and I remember getting into fights with her some mornings about outfits that she picked out for me.
Fashion becomes a bigger deal as we become older, and I wish that I could have continued to go to a school with uniforms. I think it would have been interesting to see how I would have become different as a person.
I think we ALL would have become different people if all kids were required to have school uniforms. We wouldn't have placed our values so much on how we looked and we could have spent our time paying attention to more important things, like personality and character.
People are always advocating for the anti-bullying cause, however no changes are ever made to reduce bullying. Uniforms would be one step towards tackling bullying since there would be one less thing to get made fun of.

Result from school survey: Getting ready in morning

The greatest percentage of kids reported that they spend at least eight minutes or more getting their outfits ready in the morning.
As a girl I can't even count the amount of times I have had to change outfits in the morning, causing me to almost be late for school. I have known of other girls as well as some boys that are just as indecisive as me that actually wake up earlier just to plan their outfits.
It would be so much easier and more time efficient to have our outfits already planned out for us every day! Uniforms would eliminate the stress of trying to look cute for school and would save us so much more time.

Result from school survey: Being punished from violating dress code

Although many kids have been addressed for not following dress code, not as many have been punished for it. Nonetheless, it is too high a percentage to have had 27% of kids either call home to change, go to ISS (in school suspension), or receive an out of school suspension for punishment of breaking dress code.
Even though a suspension for breaking dress code seems like a silly offense, college admission boards do not take a suspension on a transcript lightly, no matter what the reasoning is. Not getting admitted into your dream college because of the dress you wore freshman year that your biology teacher believed to be too short is ridiculous, especially since the situation can be avoided by enforcing school uniforms.

Result from school survey: Being personally addressed

66% of the kids I surveyed said that, at some point in their life, they have been addressed by a teacher for not following dress code. Getting called out for these violations are often awkward and embarrassing, especially if it is in front of your peers.
Asking to stand on the wall with your arms at your side in the middle of a busy hallway is humiliating. We all know how hard it is to fit in and have the "cool clothes."
Girls especially face the pressure of buying revealing outfits that consist of low-cut shirts and short shorts; however, most schools will send home girls that dress in this manner.
School uniforms would take away the pressure for girls to dress this way and would raise them to dress as conservative, respectable young ladies!

Result from school survey: Teachers addressing dress code

As a student personally, I know that numerous times I have seen teachers take girls out of the classroom to do the "fingertip test" for their shorts not being long enough. I have also repetitively seen teachers and administrators get in fights with boys about wearing their pants too low.
Over half of the kids I surveyed stated that they have experienced the same things in their classrooms. This takes away precious class time when a teacher has to address this issue.
If school uniforms were implemented, this would not be an issue. If a student was not wearing the school's uniform it would be easy to spot and the student could be sent home without any disruptions.

Result from school survey: Preparing for the workplace

Many of the students who believed that uniforms would not prepare students for the workplace do not understand the logistics of school uniforms.
The environment and atmosphere in which students work in can be affected by the clothes that they wear. When wearing casual clothes, students tend to not concentrate as well because they perceive that they are in a laid-back environment.
Rachel Berman, who graduated from a private high school that required uniforms, says, "The uniforms contributed to a more sedate, professional feel that I think made it easier to focus on school" (Boyd par. 3)
 Rachel is a witness to the fact that the clothes you wear affect the way that you feel. Whenever you wear a really cute outfit to school, don't you always feel that you have more confidence and that you are in a better mood? School uniforms would promote the same positive mood! Who wouldn't want to have that professional feeling on a regular basis?!

Results from school survey: View on school uniforms

I was not surprised that the majority of students were not supportive of school uniforms.
It is a known fact that kids-especially high school students-like to have the power over what they want to dress themselves in. Yes, freedom of expression is granted in the first amendment; however, due to the Clear and Present Danger doctrine, limits can be placed on first amendment rights. This can be done in circumstances where the overall good of the public is held at a higher importance than the rights of one individual.
Therefore, if students want to complain about their first amendment rights inside of  high school, the argument of the Clear and Present Danger doctrine can be made since the entire school would be benefiting from uniforms.

School survey

To get the most accurate result in my survey of high school students, I used the technique of random sampling. I asked a total of 75 kids to participate in the survey, all of which came from standard, honors, and AP classes. The kids also varied in race and gender, ensuring that the survey focused completely on the preference of the common teenager. I will share my surprising results in my next post.
If you haven't already participated in the survey please take the survey and leave a comment with your answers!