There are also voices who oppose the uniform policy. Their strongest argument is that standardized clothing leads to conformity which hinders individuality and creativity. They argue that by wearing uniforms, students would all be forced into one mold when in fact schools should support diversity, and encourage each child to express his/her creativity including through clothing.
As far as the economic argument, reality tends to disagree with the supporters of uniforms since children would still need clothing for outside school. Also, the problem of peer pressure remains as children have friends and are subjected to the same pressure to conform to certain standards as far as fashion trends and outfits.
Most importantly, violence cannot be reduced by introducing mandatory uniforms. The contrary effect might be achieved in the sense that gangs would still exist, and would probably benefit from standardized clothing since they would be harder to identify by parents and teachers. Furthermore, counselors and educators would not be able to address problems that might be troubling students and whose best visual clue could be an extreme change in clothing. As a matter of fact, self-chosen clothing can illustrate feelings and can be a signal as to potential problems especially in the case of teenagers. This advantage educators have would be annihilated in the case of uniforms (King 1998 in Eppinger 2001).
Dennis L. Evans, now director of credential programs in the Department of Education, University of California, Irvine, has over 20 years of experience as a high school principal. He argues against the uniform policy because "Young people are not 'uniform,' and we cannot categorize them as academically inclined or not merely by looking at their attire. The cheating scandals at U.S. military academies clearly demonstrate that uniforms have little to do with creating an environment conducive to genuine scholarship and academic achievement." (Evans: 139).
Students need protection in school with or without uniforms. To say that imposing the same outfit on everyone greatly improves...
Violence, low attendance and even lower academic interest, etc. cannot be solved merely by forcing students to wear the same type of clothing. Discipline does not reside in uniforms, but in respecting one's educators and acknowledging that they have the student's best interest at heart. Of course, schools need to have discipline in order to function, but that does not imply a rigid dress code as such a measure cannot replace the relationship that should exist between students and teachers. Furthermore, all matters regarding discipline and obedience to school rules are the children's choice, and if educators fail to motivate them to abide by them, they cannot and should not be forced. Educators and parents must work together towards finding a solution to improve both the academic performance of children and their safety in schools. I have always believed that students need to realize the importance of learning on their own. Whenever something is imposed on a child - not to mention a teenager - the latter is bound to reject it. I think this also applies to the issue of standardized clothing. Parents are the ones who should provide a solid education to their children, and to teach them what type of clothing is suitable for school. Moreover, I do not believe that the choices a student makes in terms of clothing illustrate whether or not he or she is interested in learning; clothes are merely an expression of self and not an indicative of how intelligent or disciplined a student is.
Eppinger, Russel E. "School Uniforms: Does What Students Wear Really Make a Difference?" September 2001. http://muse.widener.edu/~egrozyck/EDControversy/Eppinger.html
Evans, Dennis L. "School Uniforms: An 'Unfashionable' Dissent." Phi Delta Kappan 78.2 (1996): 139
Knowles, Bryan. "Should School Uniforms be Mandatory?" January 20, 2000 http://speakout.com/activism/issue_briefs/1080b-1.html?
Wilkins, Julia. "School Uniforms." The Humanist Mar. 1999.
White, Kerry a. "Do School Uniforms Fit?" School Administrator 57 (2000)
