School Uniform Essay

By attending schools, children can be protected from poverty, crime, and family strife. Schools have attempted to change behavior and shape prosocial attitudes and behaviors in children.

The implementation of uniforms at schools has been one of the best approaches taken by the administration. Schools have attempted to instill appropriate values and behaviors in their students through stricter, more authoritarian measures (Murphy, 1997). Is wearing a uniform really associated with improving academic performance or social skills?

This topic is relatively understudied, and the research that does exist is of low quality, making evaluating uniform policies in schools difficult. If democratic values of individualism are emphasized and valued in schools (Posner, 1996), uniforms can be seen as problematic.

The question I have is whether uniforms hinder diversity initiatives that are intended to encourage diversity. To test my hypothesis, I conducted an online survey among different organizations. The results revealed that a majority of the respondents believed that uniform enforcement did in fact help foster diversity and inclusion initiatives within their companies. 

Respondents noted that by implementing a goal-oriented system based on measurable outcomes, such as equal pay for employees regardless of gender or ethnicity, it became easier to keep track whether these goals were being achieved or not. To begin with, let me explain how school uniforms became popular.

Additionally, there was also an indication that incorporating some leniency could be beneficial; allowing people to feel free to challenge the necessary social conventions while still adhering to the core principles of respect and etiquette can lead to more inclusive environments overall. 

Uniform enforcement does appear to assist in creating diverse working places through promoting inclusion and fairness in practices throughout all areas at each organization surveyed. It is important for leaders at all organizations to understand this concept so they can adapt policies accordingly with good intentionality towards fostering open work spaces for marginalized communities as well as providing safeguards against prejudice behavior issues from happening in the first place.

Students’ self-images can be enhanced by uniforms, and their sense of belonging can be enhanced as well. Overall, I believe school uniforms promote equal opportunities for all students.

Since the 1980s, the prevalence of school uniforms has steadily increased in urban districts.  In the US, more than 25% of elementary and middle schools have uniform policies (Joseph, 1986).

Historically, ethnicity and minority status have impacted teachers’ judgements of academic performance in schools with a wide range of family resources (Moller, 2016).

A teacher’s implicit or explicit assessment of student achievement determines classroom activities, learning materials, and pace. In order for instruction to be productive, a teacher must increasingly assess students’ abilities.

By emphasizing their occupational status as students, students are encouraged to behave respectfully in school settings. Wearing a uniform strengthens psychological ties with a group or community. The wearer of uniforms tends to feel a sense of group affiliation, which is ideally incorporated into their behavior. But uniforms affect the organization as well. A uniform usually indicates a coherent structure with norms and objectives.

According to Murphy (1997) and Solomon (1987), people tend to think people who dress smartly are hardworking, diligent, and intelligent. Because of this, uniforms improve a sense of belonging among all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status. School students might judge one another based on their appearance because they want to fit in with their peers, according to Pate (1999).