School Uniforms: Good or Bad

School districts across the country have been changing dress policies to include dress codes or uniforms in public schools.

It is the belief that uniformity in attire will cause students to feel more secure about themselves in the environment thus increasing the capacity and effectiveness of learning. However, do those two concepts really have anything to do with one another? Speaking with the experience of both types of school environments (uniform and non-uniform schools), clothing may factor into self-esteem issues, but it is far from being the entire reason. Forcing students to look alike will not solve the issue of insecurity as other matters, such as social status and confidence, factor more into the intimidation aspect than clothing does. All that uniform policies do is create a false sense of reality for children in schools. People in the real world express themselves through their clothing, and it is important for children in schools to do the same. Students should be allowed to discover themselves in school and convey that individuality through their clothing.

Uniforms are deceptive in their true effect on students. The learning environment is the same or even better in schools were students are given the opportunity to convey their personalities through a variety of clothing options not limited by uniform policies. School districts should eliminate uniform policies and thus improving education.