Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > July > 25 > Entry
Uniforms in the burbs and small towns
Do any Get on the Bus readers know of a suburban or rural public school in the Dayton area that requires kids to wear uniforms? Just curious because I noticed a strong majority of Dayton Public Schools are requiring uniforms this fall. I know public schools in other big Ohio cities require uniforms, but I’m honestly not aware of a public school outside of a major city that does. I was wondering if this was an urban-only trend.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By GH
July 28, 2006 1:45 AM | Link to this
Uniforms are not THE answer, but they are a step in the right direction. Too many kids think school is just another place to meet their friends and goof around. Having them dress in a certain way sends teh subtle, but undeniable message that school is a SPECIAL and DIFFERENT place than elsewhere and they should act in a SPECIAL and DIFFERENT way. And I don’t even want to hear about cost: every one of the students I teach at an inner-city high school are dressed EXPENSIVELY every day: NBA jerseys, name brand jeans, the latest Nikes. In all seriousness, they dress nicer than I do and I do try to dress nicely! (The difference of course is that I’m paynig to clothe me and 4 other people in my family!)By Lea
July 27, 2006 3:54 PM | Link to this
Dirk - you are SO RIGHT! I have a first-hand take on this as my kids (OK, stepkids) get clothes from Kohl’s, JC Penney, and so on - when at their mother’s, it’s A&F, Limited Too, Gymboree, GAP Kids… I think I’ll stop there. I can do STYLE from JC Penney - but I still think uniforms would be an even better idea.By dirk sniggler
July 26, 2006 9:08 PM | Link to this
A&F clothing on children only goes to show that their parents are poor money managers.By Janet
July 26, 2006 4:41 PM | Link to this
As a teacher at a suburban/rural school, I would LOVE to see students in uniform. So many children come to school dressed inappropriately,with girls showing too much skin and boys’ boxers hanging out of their saggy pants. Therefore, part of every day is spent sending students to the office, getting parents to bring appropriate clothes, etc. Also, since I teach junior high, I have male teachers sending inappropriately dressed girls to my room with a “code question.” This is because the males, in this day and age, are afraid to address dress code issues with female students. Uniforms may not improve grades, but they would give teachers and administration a little more time to focus on school. Oh, and to those who are reading thinking I am an old prudish teacher, I’m 29 and quite stylish!By Lea
July 26, 2006 3:55 PM | Link to this
Actually, Dave, it IS valid; A&F is just one example. In fact, if you follow the example of the military and have even a full five outfits, you are saving a ton of money - most kids don’t wear the same non-uniform outfits every day, in fact rarely twice in the same month, and they always have to be IN STYLE. At home they just don’t care - playing outside requires comfort. It’s at school that they care how they look…By Dave
July 26, 2006 12:55 PM | Link to this
Lea, I’m sorry, but that A&F arguement is not valid. Kind of like saying everyone should buy their 16 year old an Accura, because it’s a lot cheaper than a Porsche. I still have not seen a valid reason to require school uniforms in public school.By Lea
July 26, 2006 11:30 AM | Link to this
Actually Dave, one outfit (pants & shirt) at Abercrombie & Fitch is MUCH more expensive than one uniform set… Compare $125 to $25. And yes, they argue. When your 11-year-old daughter wants to wear a tank top that bares her midriff and a pair of short-shorts to school, you have to draw a line - especially since the shorts-and-tank outfit cost more than the uniform would! That said, A&F and others are fashionable - but I haven’t got the money. I’d rather buy sturdy, boring uniforms. For me, too!By Dave
July 26, 2006 10:51 AM | Link to this
Uniforms are another expense. They have never been proven to help learning or school discipline, so they are an unnecessary expense. To a lot of families, (especially those with several kids, not just one) that’s not to like. But what’s this about arguing about what to wear to school? Is that a common problem? It never happened with my kids (youngest is 22), but no kid is “typical”. I may have just been lucky on that score.By Lea
July 26, 2006 10:00 AM | Link to this
Gee, I remember going to a Catholic school and being required to wear uniforms. Hated ‘em, but there were no kids getting sent home for inappropriate dress and my parents spent a LOT less money on fashionable stuff - because I saw no need for it even as a child. Why bother if my peers didn’t have it either? Now, add that to the fact that most of my classmates’ families had a LOT more money than we did. No one cared. I think if my kids’ school adopted uniforms I would cheer!By Karen
July 25, 2006 11:21 PM | Link to this
What hardship for parents? The uniforms (unless you have to buy them from a “uniform” company) are inexpensive. My son has five shirts from last year that still fit. I’ll buy him a couple pairs of shorts to start school with and pick up some pants later. Many schools that require uniforms have used uniform sales & parents often pass around unforms because kids grow out of stuff before they wear it out. There’s no arguing about what someone is leaving the house wearing. And this year my son is going to do his own school laundry. What’s not to like?By Oldprof
July 25, 2006 7:24 PM | Link to this
Scott, it only happens in school districts where the authorities are desperate for anything that might create a change. The assumption is that if things can’t get any worse, change can’t hurt and might make it better. I have not ever seen a rigorous study of the effects of uniforms, usually it’s similar to almost all education research: “We adopted uniforms, and we think it worked!” with no solid evidence nor scientific controls. Now, if you want suburban, the Deer Park schools are considering adoption of uniforms (they’re a sort-of suburb of Cincy, near Blue Ash). No telling where that will go. I won’t deny that uniforms seem to be a good idea when students are getting assaulted by others who want to steal their clothing (alternative solution: don’t buy your inner-city kid Air Jordans), but absent that, it creates a hardship on parents and can’t be proven to do anything to promote academics or discipline.