Arrow Archives
1996-2001

Man, That's Weird
A column by
Jim Bennett

Sports Schedule
2000-2001

Arrow Staff
2000-2001

Classmates.com
Find old friends from FHS

School District 5
Recent School Information

Yahoo.com Newspaper Listings
High school newspapers

The Missoulian
The Missoulian Internet Edition

TeenVoice
The electronic
voice of teens

The Emblem Online
High School Newspaper

  Bryan Schulze- Arrow Staff

   While President Bush unveileved his proposal to reform our nation's education system, a Republican senator from Yellowstone County, Al Bishop, has submitted his own proposal in the form of a bill. He wants all students and teachers in Montana public schools to wear uniforms. Proponents of the uniform policy have some seemingly rational reasons for supporting this bill, but they are refuted by a study done by Gary Peter Klahr, a Phoenix, Ariz., lawyer, former school board member, and critic of uniforms.

   According to Klahr, here are some of the most popular reasons for wanting uniforms in public schools, followed by similiar findings of research done by the University of Notre Dame in Indiana:

•    They improve academic performance - "No study shows this, although there are anecdotal reports of the same. At Phoenix Prep, the Jr. High that permanently expelled two students for wearing logo clothes instead of uniforms, academic scores are still in the 30th percentile. In any event, if academics is the test, honor roll students should be exempt. Most kids who opt out are among the "best and brightest." In one district near Sacramento, California, the GPA of opt-outs was an amazing 3.6 on a 4.0 scale!" In the University of Notre Dame's study, they found that there was actually a decline in academic performance when students were wearing uniforms.
  
  
•    They improve discipline - "This is probably true to some extent - but at what cost in suppression of individual expression? The main point to make however is that there are many assertive discipline programs and other ways to solve discipline problems without requiring uniforms."
  
     Klahr may actually be wrong about this one. The study by Notre Dame showed that there was no difference in discipline and other behavior.
  
  
•    They fight gangs and prevent intruders on campus - "Sounds good, and it sounds like it'd work too, except for the fact that gangs can be distinguished by tattoos, and you can't kick somebody out of a public school for having a tattoo. If an intruder were smart, he would grab a uniform for himself, or clothes that looked like the school's uniform."
  
     Again there was no difference in the amount of fighting that occurred with and without uniforms. Children will fight just as much, even if they are wearing the same clothes.
  
  
•    They are cheaper - "This may or may not be true - it depends on the cost of the uniforms and what the family would otherwise spend on school clothes. It does require two sets of outfits, however, because almost no one would wear the uniform after school and on weekends. Many families do not spend big bucks on buying name-brand clothes for their kids; this argument assumes that most do."
  
     While Notre Dame didn't cover this issue, some people enjoy dressing for school. If you look around, lots of students don't just wear logo shirts, but shirts that show their personal achievements, something that they can be proud of.
  
     Picture this: it is December 25, at 7:30 in the morning. You run down the stairs to see numerous packages under your Christmas tree. You run to the one from your grandmother, sure that it is just another thing that she has made. Inside the package is a hand-knitted uniform. Is that the spirit of Christmas?
  
  
•    Dressing for school in the morning is easier - "This is probably true, and so anyone who wants to wear the same clothes daily can do so. But it is hardly an argument to force everyone to dress alike. Most kids prefer to dress for the day's mood and activity on a variable basis - as they will as adults."
  
     Another issue that Notre Dame didn't cover. Klahr points out that if students want to dress the same every day they can do so, but the people who do want variety should be able to choose.
  
  
•    They prevent poor kids from being harassed for not having fancy clothes - "This is actually an argument for socialized clothing. It is very attractive to liberals - but dead wrong. First, many kids wear simple striped T-shirts and jeans, not Nike and Guess. Second, any kid who harasses another because of clothing can and should be punished for intimidation - a more serious offense than dress code violations. But the best defense is that it doesn't work. Because bikes, backpacks, jewelry and other accessories are not covered, in a uniform school it is STILL obvious who is rich and who isn't."
  
     This last argument was also not tackled by Notre Dame, though the jewelry problem is easily rectified if you said that students could not wear jewelry with their uniforms.
  Another study done by the Department of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana concluded, "student uniforms have no direct effect on substance use, behavioral problems or attendance."
  
     The study also found that "a negative effect of uniforms on student academic achievement was found. These findings are contrary to current discourse on student uniforms. We conclude that uniform policies may indirectly affect school environment and student outcomes by providing a visible and public symbol of commitment to a school environment and reform."
  
     With these points taken into consideration, there is absolutely no reason for having uniforms, except to create a crowd of people standing around wearing the exact same clothes 180 days out of the school year.
  
     The last and most important argument that was not stated in the study is that children drop out because they don't feel connected with the rest of the student body. Wrong. Most students leave because they can't find their own identity - their little niche, or their place in the crowd. Mandating uniforms in public school may make more students drop out. If students don't come out with their negative feelings towards uniforms in their schools, they're going to have to wear them, and they aren't going to like it