School Uniforms a Qualitative Purposal

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Running Head: PUBLIC SCHOOL UNIFORMS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Public School Uniform and Effect on Student Achievement and Discipline Abstract Uniforms have been used for years by countries, work-places, and sports teams to promote positive attitudes, professionalism, pride, and discipline. Private schools have long been thought of as the place where there students would be required to wear a uniform, the debate is ever increasing for the use of such measures for public schools. In 1994 when Long Beach Unified District (LBUD) required all students K-8 to wear school uniforms only about 3% of public school required school uniforms (NCES,2010). In 2008 about 18% of public school now require school uniforms (NCES, 2010). Today with the constant reports of low student achievement, school violence, drug use among students schools are scrambling to reform and improve student achievement and discipline. Bill Clinton in his 1996 inaugural address mentions the benefits of school uniforms as part of a school improvement plan. If one looks at the LBUD case study they would tend to agree with the former president. The Study shows from 1993-94 to 1994-95 a 51% drop in physical fights, a 34% drop is assaults and batteries and 50% drop in weapons offenses and a 32% drop in suspensions (Stanley 1996), but a closer look at LBUD shows other measures were also instated (Brunsma and Rockquemore, 1998), such as a heightened security measure and stricter rules for student conduct were also a part of the LBUD improvement plan. Since 1994 other cities and schools districts have adopted school uniform policies. In 1999 New York City allowed schools to vote whether to opt out of a new school uniform policy in which about 70% of the elementary schools did in fact adopt a school uniform (Kohnheim-Kalkstein, 2006). In 2000 Philadelphia School

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