eng 122 final - Running head UNIFORMS FOR SUCCESS 1...

Running head: UNIFORMS FOR SUCCESS 1
Uniforms for Success
Krystal D. Turner
ENG122: English Composition II
Instructor: Rosa Pearson
February 2, 2016

UNIFORMS FOR SUCCESS 2
School uniforms have always been a private school staple encouraging student
professionalism and a driving force in minimalizing school related violence. Since the
Clinton administration, public schools are now starting to realize the benefits attributing
to student life and parental wallets despite the opposition that student individualism is
neglected.
Students with behavioral problems would greatly benefit from the public school
adoption of a uniform only policy. In his study, John A. Huss (2007) references Hoffler-
Riddick and Lassiter’s (1996) research that examined a mandatory school uniform policy
in Norfolk, Virginia, public schools and “found a dramatic decline in discipline
infractions, increased attendance, and improvement in the overall instructional climate”
(Huss, 2007). Additionally, the classroom discipline is at 85 percent, Image in the
community is at an 83 percent, student safety is at a 79 percent[Hus07]. In his 1996 State
of The Union address President, Bill Clinton was quoted saying "If it means that
teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools
should be able to require their students to wear uniforms”(President Clinton, 1995).
It all started in Long Beach California, which is perhaps the largest school system
in the country, in response to increased gang violence, bullying, attendance and
behavioral problems. The school district's solution was to implement a policy that made
school uniforms mandatory. Five years after the Long Beach initiative; the crime report
summaries indicate an overall decrease if a school-related crime has dropped 86% even
though K-8 student enrollment increased 14%. “The five categories of school crime
where comparisons can be made between 1993 levels and 1999 levels are as follows: (a)
sex offenses down 93% (from 57 to 4 offenses); (b) robbery/extortion down 85% (from

UNIFORMS FOR SUCCESS 3
34 to 5 cases); (c) selling or using chemical substances down 48% (from 71 to 37 cases);
(d) weapons or look-a-likes down 75% (from 145 to 36 cases); and (e) dangerous devices
down 96% (from 46 to 2 cases; LBUSD, 1999)”[Lop03]. After looking at these statistics,
it seems that school uniforms do not hinder student achievement, it exacerbates the
student’s potential to improve the overall student behavior that has a negative outward
manifestation.
Wearing school uniforms is a policy every school should have because School
uniforms would help make all students feel equal. We have all been there, being judged
and bullied because we did not sport the latest trend in clothing because our families
could not afford a designer or other expensive labeled clothing in school. In the first
paragraph of an in-depth study conducted by the National School Board Association, one
school board member made the statement that “I do believe that campuses benefit from
this policy. “Approximately 70 percent of our students are economically disadvantaged.