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##  Uniforms and Dress-Code Policies. ERIC Digest Number 148.                    

Does the old adage "clothes make the man" apply to students in the              school setting? That is, can the way students dress have an impact              on such things as school climate and safety, academic success, and              behavior? Some administrators think so and have tightened up student            dress codes or begun requiring students to wear uniforms as a way of            reducing the risk of violence and creating a positive, productive               learning environment. 
The National Association of Elementary                  School Principals points out that uniforms once were the trademark              of a private or parochial school; today "the number of public                   schools adopting uniforms and strong dress codes is growing                     annually" (NAESP 2000). In a national survey of elementary and                  middle school principals conducted by NAESP in May 2000, 10 percent             of the 755 respondents "said that their schools already had adopted             a uniform policy and another 11 percent were considering the                    concept" (NAESP). 
This Digest discusses why some schools are                  changing their dress-code policies, outlines issues raised by                   proponents and opponents, looks at legal considerations, touches                upon research findings, and offers some suggestions from students               about other ways to promote safety in schools. WHY ARE SOME                   SCHOOLS REQUIRING UNIFORMS OR TIGHTENING DRESS-CODE                             POLICIES?Concerns about school violence have led to increased               interest in and acceptance of uniform policies, which specify what              must be worn, or strict dress codes, which identify prohibited                  attire. Ronald D. Stephens, executive director of the National                  School Safety Center, states, "In the wake of school shootings,                 communities and schools are much more willing to embrace uniforms as            well as a number of other strategies to enhance student                         safety" (White 2000). 
Even before the recent series of school                 shootings, a survey of principals conducted by the National                     Association of Secondary School Principals found strong support for             uniforms. Seventy percent of the 5,500 principals surveyed at                   NASSP's 1996 annual conference said they believed "requiring                    students to wear uniforms to school would reduce violent incidents              and discipline problems" (Brown 1998). 
In addition to having a                sense that uniforms may aid in violence prevention, many                        administrators "believe that uniforms will reduce discipline                    referrals, while improving attendance, achievement, self esteem, and            school climate" (Brown). 
Curbing gang-related problems was the                primary goal of the Long Beach (CA) Unified School District when, in            1994, it began requiring students in all its elementary and middle              schools to wear uniforms. In the Dysart Unified School District                 outside Phoenix, Arizona, eliminating "some of the stigma associated            with clothes" was the main motivation behind the adoption of                    uniforms (White). 
Potential benefits attributed to school uniforms            include improved discipline, increased respect for teachers,                    increased school attendance, fewer distractions, improved academic              performance, increased self-esteem and confidence, lower overall                clothing costs, promotion of group spirit, reduction in social                  stratification and fashion statements, improved classroom behavior,             lower rates of school crime and violence, and easy identification of            non-students (Brown). WHAT OBJECTIONS HAVE BEEN RAISED IN REGARD              TO THE POLICIES?People who oppose uniforms point to "unnecessary            routinization, violations of students' First Amendment rights,                  authoritarian regimentation, extraordinary expenditures on special              clothing, an environmental tone that is harmful to education and                learning, and a cosmetic solution to deeper societal                            problems" (Brown). 
Students' First Amendment right to freedom of              expression, and whether it is being unduly abridged, is one of the              fundamental issues raised. Several legal challenges have asserted               that students' freedom to select what to wear to school is a form of            self-expression that schools are not entitled to interfere                      with. 
The lack of conclusive evidence concerning whether uniforms             or restrictive dress policies really have a positive impact is also             cited by opponents. Loren Siegel, director of the Public Education              Department for the American Civil Liberties Union, points out that              whereas the Long Beach School District claims uniforms resulted in a            reduction in certain forms of student misconduct and improved                   student achievement, a causal relationship may not                              exist (http://www.aclu.org/congress/uniform.html) . Since other                 changes were instituted about the same time the uniform policy was              put into effect (for example, teacher supervision in halls was                  increased and new content standards were adopted), it is difficult              to determine which variables were actually responsible for the                  subsequent drop in misbehavior. 
Siegel also points out                        that "virtually every uniform policy in the country" applies only to            elementary and/or middle school students, not to high school                    students, despite the fact that uniforms are portrayed as a way to              curb teen violence. Attempts have rarely been made to implement                 uniforms at the high school level, where noncompliance would almost             certainly be a more significant issue. WHAT LEGAL ISSUES SHOULD               ADMINISTRATORS BE AWARE OF?Lane and colleagues (1996) report                that although the courts have issued "inconsistent and ambiguous"               rulings on dress codes, "the federal courts consistently have upheld            the school district's right to establish regulations for the                    day-to-day operations of schools." While uniform policies have faced            opposition, "lawsuits have in general failed in the courts,"                    according to Patten and Siegrist (2000). 
When developing a                    dress-code policy, the school should specify how the policy relates             to its ability to educate students in a safe, orderly environment.              In one case, the court ruled that it is unconstitutional for school             districts to restrict what students can wear simply on the basis of             taste and style (Lane and others). On the other hand, "school                   policies that prohibit wearing clothing or symbols linked to gangs              have traditionally been upheld by the courts" (Brown). According to             Brown, when "issues of health, safety, and potential disturbance of             the learning environment" drive the adoption of strict dress codes              or mandatory uniform policies, the courts may be more apt to rule in            favor of schools if their policies are legally challenged. 
To                 successfully defend a mandatory uniform policy against                          constitutional challenges, a district must ensure that its dress                code is related to the school's pedagogical purpose, allows students            alternative means of expressing their views, and is a                           content-neutral (rather than a content-based) regulation of student             expression (Simonson 1998). Dress codes are considered a permissible            regulation of student expression because the classroom is considered            a nonpublic, rather than a public, forum (Simonson). 
According to             the Manual on School Uniforms (U.S. Department of Education 1996),              policies will be more likely to succeed and be accepted by all                  constituents if the following steps are taken: 
1. Get parents                 involved from the beginning. 
2. Protect students' religious                   expression. 
3. Protect students' other rights of expression. 
4.             Determine whether to have a voluntary or mandatory school-uniform               policy. 
5. When a mandatory policy is adopted, determine whether              to have an opt-out provision. 
6. Do not require students to wear a            message. 
7. Assist families that need financial help. 
8. Treat              school uniforms as part of an overall safety program. 
The manual              emphasizes that most districts with mandatory uniform policies                  permit students to opt out with parental consent. If a mandatory                uniform policy is adopted without an opt-out provision, districts               may "be vulnerable to legal challenge" unless they can show that                other less dramatic steps would fail to alleviate a "disruptive                 learning environment." 
Recently, however, the Arizona Court of                Appeals "held that an opt out provision is not required" (Starr                 2000).  Starr contends that this ruling means uniform policies may              be more successful in public high schools-where they are needed to              combat violence-than previously thought possible. 
According to                NAESP, "many states have established guidelines and/or legislation              on dress codes and uniforms at public schools" (NAESP). Information             on state policies regarding uniforms and dress codes can be obtained            at the Education Commission of the States web                                   site (http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/13/39/1339.htm). WHAT DOES             THE RESEARCH SUGGEST?Both those in favor of and those opposed to            school uniforms cite data to bolster their respective positions.                However, according to White, "Research on the effects of school                 uniforms has been inconclusive or mixed." Much of the "evidence" on             both sides is anecdotal, not empirical. The survey of principals                conducted by NAESP seems to bear this out. It found that although               some schools maintain statistics, most rely primarily on informal               observations by principals and staff to ascertain whether uniforms              are making a difference. 
The weakness of anecdotal evidence is                that people may attribute specific positive (or negative) effects to            uniforms based on changes they observe following the implementation             of a uniform policy. However, unless other variables are controlled             for, it is possible that the changes are really the result of other             factors, not the uniforms. 
A study of middle school students in               the Charleston (SC) School District found that school uniforms did              appear to alter students' perceptions of school climate (Wilson).               Students attending district schools that required uniforms viewed               their school climates more positively than did students enrolled in             schools where uniforms were not mandatory. WHAT ALTERNATIVE                   APPROACHES HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED?Since many school administrators             and policymakers view uniforms as part of a violence-prevention                 package, the ACLU polled high school students to solicit their ideas            about how to address school violence. Their suggestions included the            following: (1) Confront and discuss issues of racism and cultural               conflict, (2)institute "safe corridor" programs to protect students             on their way to and from school, (3) secure school entrances, (4)               establish more extracurricular activities and clubs, (5) hold                   open-mike assemblies where students can express themselves, (6)                 establish programs to help students find part-time jobs, and (7)                teach conflict-resolution techniques (Siegel). Those polled did not             feel that restrictive dress codes or uniforms would be helpful in               reducing violence (Siegel). 
Clearly, it is naive to think of                  uniforms or restrictive dress codes as a stand-alone solution to the            safety concerns and discipline problems that plague many schools                today. As Forest (1997) notes, instituting uniforms to stop violence            is like putting "a bandage on an enormous wound, instead of                     attempting to find ways of truly dealing with the bleeding."  On the            other hand, when well conceived and coupled with other appropriate              interventions, uniforms or strict dress-code policies may have a                positive impact on school climate, student behavior, and academic               success. RESOURCESBrown, T. "Legal Issues and the Trend Toward            School Uniforms." 1998. 8 pages. ED 447 588. 
Forest,                          Stephanie. "Dressed to Drill." Business Week (September 8, 1997):               40. 
Lane, Kenneth E.; Michael Richardson; and Dennis Van Berkum.              The School Safety Handbook. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Technomic                  Publishing Company, 1996. 322 pages. ED 421 746. 
National                     Association of Elementary School Principals. "School Uniforms: Why              and How." Principal Online, 2000.                                               http://www.naesp.org/misc/uniforms.htm 
Patten, James J., and Jerry            Siegrist. "Developing a Common Faith and Ethic for School Safety."              Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Educational                   Research Association, April 24, 2000. ED 446 358. 
Simonson, Mary              Ellen. "School Uniforms: A Blueprint for Legal Challenges." Inquiry             and Analysis (March 1998): 1-7. ED 426 488. 
Starr,                            Jennifer. "School Violence and Its Effect on the Constitutionality              of Public School Uniform Policies." Journal of Law & Education 29,              1 (January 2000): 113-18. EJ 606 478. 
U.S. Department of                      Education. Manual on School Uniforms. Washington, D.C.:  Author,                1996. 9 pages. ED 387 947. http://www.ed.gov/ 
White, Kerry A. "Do             School Uniforms Fit?" The School Administrator 57, 2 (February                  2000): 36-40. EJ 599 101. 
Wilson, Richard. "The Impact of School              Uniform Dress Code on Principal Perception of School Violence." 9               pages. 1999. 
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A Product of the ERIC Clearinghouse on                   Educational Management, College of Education, University of Oregon,             Eugene, Oregon, 97403-5207 
This publication was prepared with                 funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement,                U.S. Department of Education, under contract No. ED-99-C0-0011.  The            ideas and opinions expressed in this Digest do not necessarily                  reflect the positions or policies of OERI, ED, or the Clearinghouse.            This Digest is in the public domain and may be freely reproduced.               The text of this Digest may be viewed electronically at                         http://eric.uoregon.edu.  EA 030 9709.                                       **Title:** Uniforms and Dress-Code Policies. ERIC Digest Number 148.                    **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, 5207 University of                Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5207. Tel: 800-438-8841 (Toll Free). For               full text: http://eric.uoregon.edu.                                          **Descriptors:** Discipline Policy,  Dress Codes,  Educational Environment,                      Educational Policy, Educational Principles, Elementary Secondary                Education,  School Policy,  School Uniforms, Student School                     Relationship                                                                 **Identifiers:**
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