Private Schools Should Have Their Students Wear Uniforms

My Arguments

1. Uniforms may increase a student’s self esteem because they do not have to worry constantly to be better dressed than those around them. [1] Many kids are discouraged by the fact that they don't own, or cannot afford some of the clothing other kids can. Uniforms put all kids at the same level, and takes that much more stress off the students that cannot afford the latest "fashion". [2] By implementing uniforms confidence is boosted and negative peer pressure is eliminated. Over 75% of schools that implemented school uniforms noticed a drop in peer pressure. [3]

2. Uniforms improve learning by not allowing kids to be distracted. Clothes can be a huge distraction when you are in the classroom, especially if you are bored. Kids always want to know what others are wearing and even judge other students over it. Uniforms eliminate this problem and helps kids to stay focused in class.

3. Uniforms show that everyone there with you is part of your school. It shows you are all part of a team. It promotes school spirit and shows that everyone there is "on the same side". [4] This togetherness helps to eliminate division among students at the school and reduces bullying; giving a sense of community is beneficial to the mental well being of a student. [5]

4. Uniforms help the school faculty to quickly identify who is part of the school and in the end could actually help in keeping strangers and potentially dangerous people off the campus. This helps to make students feel safer at school. School uniforms may also eliminate gang and clique symbols bringing about a feeling of safety and togetherness. Safety is very important when increasing the amount of students who enroll in a school.

5. Bullies like to pick on kids who are lesser than them, and therefore tend to pick on kids who do not wear quality or popular clothes. [6]By implementing school uniforms this problem is solved. School uniforms encourage discipline through neatness, order, and equality among students. [6]

6. School uniforms encourage creative forms of self expression. Since students lose the ability to express themselves in certain ways through the clothes they were, they will be more likely to express themselves through things such as their personality, academic performance, clubs, and sports. It pushes students to put themselves out there.

7. School uniforms reduce violence and student behavioral problems. [7] Long Beach, California District School held a study comparing violence and behavioral problem rates among students before and after uniforms were implemented. In the five years following the implementation of school uniforms there was an 86% drop in violent assaults. Vandalism cases dropped from 1409 to 106. [8] The U.S. Department of Education also found that school crime decreased 36%, sexual offenses decreased 74%, and fights between students dropped 51% after school uniforms were implemented.[13] Almost 80% schools that implemented school uniforms noticed an improvement in student discipline. [9] Schools that implemented school uniforms also showed to have a higher graduation rate and attendance rate than schools without school uniforms. [11] [12]

School uniforms have helped improve schools, as emphasized by one study that finds that “various benefits to wearing uniforms were reported, including decreases in discipline, gang involvement and bullying; and increases in safety, eases of going to school, confidence and self-esteem. Additionally, school police data showed a 63 percent reduction in police log reports during the first year of implementation. Other decreases were noted in reports of gang-related activities and student fights, along with graffiti, property damage, battery and administrative assist. “[10]

[1] http://everydaylife.globalpost.com...

[2] http://www.eduguide.org...

[3] https://www.dickies.com...

[4]http://www.greatschools.org...

[5]http://www.frenchtoast.com...

[6] http://www.parenting.org...

[7]http://www.calvaryschoolkc.com...

[8] http://www.davidsonacademy.com...

[9] http://www.buzzle.com...

[10] http://www.unr.edu...

[11] http://www.19actionnews.com...

[12] http://www.uh.edu...

[13] http://www.psmag.com...

Thank you for your response.

Rebuttals

1. It is irrelevant whether students want to wear uniforms or not, as it is irrelevant whether students want to go to school or not. Private schools have the right to institute school uniforms, and seeing that uniforms provide a plethora of benefits private schools ought to implement them.

2. It is irrelevant whether school, or even classes, are boring or not. Teachers do not have to entertain their students; they’re only job is to teach their students. In addition, you argument does not take away from the fact that regardless of whether the class is boring or not, implementing school uniforms still eliminated a potential distraction.

3. Even if it does not eliminate bullying all together, it does eliminate a factor that may be victim to bullying, thus reduce bullying. If bullying still continues, that is not the fault of school uniforms, rather the problem lies within bullies themselves. If that is the case, the school should work towards eliminating bullying as a whole and not factors that either cause bullying or are victims to bullying.

4. Most schools do not have security guards, or even necessarily security gates to keep strangers off of campus. This argument directly applies to school that do not have these security measures. Implementing uniforms is a security measure in itself in that it helps to identify students from nonstudents.

5. That is an appeal to personal experience, and can therefore not be trusted as a valid argument. The fact stays that clothing may easily represent wealth, wear wealthier kids will be able to keep up with trending fashions or even more expensive clothing whereas less fortunate kids will not, and even have to go as far as to wear old, outdated, or worn clothing. This can easily make them victims to bullying through snide comments about them being poor, ect.

6. I am not arguing that uniforms increase academic performance, because studies have been inconclusive or have found that uniforms do not increase academic performance. Students do not only talk about clothing, there is much more to talk about. They can talk about their social lives, families, social media, clubs, sports, classes, ect. Therefore your argument that they will have nothing to talk about is invalid.

7. I have provided seven sources backing up this argument, whereas you have only concluded through your own opinion that there is no correlation. There this argument can be considered dropped.

Over to you.