Top 16 Reasons Why Should Students Wear Uniforms

The truth is—the stereotypical image of a student is a learner dressed in a school uniform. True, whether it’s a red blazer, a white shirt, blue pants, or skirt, this essential apparel plays a significant role in any learning institution.

Here is an insight into the reasons why students should wear uniforms in schools. 

#1. Create Cohesion

This is perhaps one of the most important reasons why students should wear school uniforms. It helps create a dress code of fairness or cohesion by eliminating preconceived ideas about different clothing types.

The assumption that we are all the same is promoted by setting standards. 

Students from various backgrounds come together and can instantly recognize a teammate based on their clothes, which, as a result, fosters a sense of belonging and rebuild the connection lost when school uniforms are eliminated.

#2. Reduce the Potential for Bullying

Teachers are firmly in favor of school uniforms because they have the most experience with classroom politics and bullying cases.

They are also privy to social interactions between their students and may observe behaviors that they might not want to disclose with their parents.

Over 80 percent of teachers believe that wearing a uniform helps create a happy learning community, while 95 percent of teachers believe that wearing a uniform helps students ‘fit in’ with their peers.

Parents and teachers understand that encouraging students to wear a school uniform helps them “blend in” with other students, preventing bullying.

#3. Reduce Distractions

Students are hypersensitive to social hierarchies and in-group and out-group dynamics. As a result, clothing might prove to be one of the biggest distractions at school. It is mainly because children have limited autonomy, and their dress choices might communicate their social status. 

Uniforms eliminate these concerns, allowing them to concentrate more on their studies. Technically, students attend school to study, and anything that serves as a distraction should be eliminated from the classroom environment. 

Note that there is less of a distraction if everyone wears the same attire. In fact, according to a study conducted by Houston students, elementary school girls’ language examinations increased by 3 percent when the school implemented the required school uniforms.

#4. Improve Study Ethic

According to a 2010 study by the University of Houston, the average absence rate for middle and high school girls dropped by 7 percent when uniforms were introduced. The study also discovered that “behavioral difficulties switched to less serious transgressions. Typically, the analysis demonstrated that uniforms reduce disciplinary and attendance issues, which improves study ethic.

Morale is also boosted when everyone is dressed in uniform and proud to be a part of their school. Besides, the students get a stronger sense of belonging and pride, which helps to promote school spirit.

However, you should note that a good study ethic will depend on the discipline created by preserving the expectations of a specific appearance. 

Students can focus on other parts of the classroom environment when they are not trying to gain popularity through fashion or accessories. That also implies that they can stay focused on their academic performance, which eventually results in higher grades.

#5. Remove Peer Pressure

Most learning institutions require all students to wear the same outfit or put together some uniform based on specified accepted standards. 

As a result, there is less peer pressure to wear certain fashion designs or purchase specific clothing labels because every student practically wears the same thing. 

It also allows them to develop more connections based on a genuine networking ability rather than popularity. 

Note that students are often under some form of peer pressure and might set expectations about the type of cloth they can wear to fit into a particular group. For this reason, teachers should ensure that uniform rules are followed at all times. 

#6. Encourage Professionalism

Some people believe that a child who wears a school uniform is more likely to pay attention in class. They might be right! Wearing a school uniform indicates that they are going to school — just as their parents do when they are going to work.

Students who dress in “work clothes” rather than “play clothes” take their studies more seriously.

#7. Reduce Distractions

As mentioned earlier, students’ performance is improved by wearing school uniforms. Instead of focusing on fashion, students get more time to concentrate on learning. 

A Chicago Public Schools veteran, Principal James Covey, once stated that “When all students wear the same outfit, they are less concerned about what they are wearing and how they fit into the picture.”

He also pointed out that instead of focusing on their clothes, they can concentrate on their studies and not what their outfit looks like. Notably, when they all wear uniforms, it’s pretty simple to decide what to wear to school. 

They are also less likely to be late and spend less time in class dealing with what brought them to school in the first place. 

#8. Focus on Character (Student Identification)

Without the required school uniform, the student’s appearance may be used by others to define them rather than their character. 

The student should place a high value on developing their personalities and the confidence to be themselves and not be defined by external factors such as their clothing.

They will be able to express themselves better with a school uniform which will also enhance creativity.

#9. Cost Savings

According to a 2017 survey, the average cost of a school uniform in the United States is $104 but can vary depending on several factors. 

Some of these factors include whether your school requires a jacket, wants a specific type of uniform, or a specific color matching the policy’s requirements. 

#10. Intruder Identification

School uniforms make it easier for teachers and administrators to identify students and those that are not, even from afar. This makes it easy for them to keep students safe and out of places they are not required to be during school time.

Secondly, teachers and students can also quickly identify anyone on the school compound that is not wearing a uniform as an outsider or a potential intruder.

School uniforms are also beneficial for field excursions and on-site instruction due to increased safety. Thirdly, in huge crowds, students wearing school uniforms are simpler to detect and follow, reducing their chances of straying off without their teachers noticing.

#11. Environmental Initiatives

Remember the Greta Thunberg global wave on school strikes? It was all in the name of enacting a systemic change on how we address environmental challenges.

Fast fashion and the massive amount of clothes that end up in landfills are a problem that greatly affects the environment. By wearing one type of uniform throughout, students put the environmental initiatives into action and emphasize the need to take care of the environment.  

#12. School Styles

School uniforms provide schools with a particular style that distinguishes them from other students or schools. Students feel good about their unique school uniform because many people take pride in having their style. 

Furthermore, everybody’s clothing preference is unique, and not all school uniforms may be suitable for everyone. When your students are compelled to wear your school’s distinct uniform, it’s easy to see how different they might be compared to others. 

#13. Student Safety

Some parents believe that wearing school uniforms will make schools safer for their children. Well, when all students in grades K–8 in Long Beach, California, were made to wear uniforms, assault and police reports were reported to have reduced by 34 percent. 

Furthermore, assaults with a lethal weapon reduced by 50 percent, fighting occurrences dropped by 51 percent, and sex offenses decreased by 74 percent. Weapons possession also reduced by 52 percent, drug possession fell by 69 percent, and vandalism lowered by 18 percent. 

The Sparks Middle School in Nevada also observed a drop in gang activity after establishing a uniform policy. According to the report, fights, graffiti, property damage, and police reports dropped by 63 percent. 

#14. Attendance Rates

It’s human nature to desire to be a part of a group. Groups performed better in the hunter-gatherer age because they could pool resources and work together for a mutual purpose. But what is a school, if not a group of people working together to achieve a common goal? 

School uniforms help reinforce the group signal. Students can express “I’m with them” without saying it by wearing a matching school uniform. It works for the judges, military, and there is no doubt that it will work for students in uniform.

#15. Discipline Issues

School uniforms enhance discipline by reducing criminal activities in learning institutions. It is a critical aspect in any learning institution that significantly contributes to a student’s academic performance.

According to a U.S. Department of Education report, expensive clothes and jewelry in school are the leading causes of an increased school crime rate. In response to these high crime levels in schools, parents, school officials, and teachers have come to regard uniforms as a creative way to curb the problem.   

#16. Impact on Self-Esteem

Wearing uniforms in school significantly reduces cases of bullying and impacts students’ self-esteem levels. 

A study conducted in Reno, Nevada, revealed that 54 percent of students strongly agreed that wearing school uniforms gave them a sense of belonging and identity. It further showed that their lives changed drastically with the introduction of the school’s dress code. 

What’s more, the way they feel about themselves or treat each other also changed, which, as a result, had a positive impact on their grades and behavior.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the above crucial aspects will be pretty significant if your back-to-school shopping errands include school uniforms. They are not only capable of influencing the environment but also moods, behavior, and grades. 

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