Why School Uniforms?
By: Troy Pike

While the debate over school uniforms has been ongoing for decades, it took on a much higher profile in the nation's consciousness in 1996. It was in January of that year when, during his State of the Union address, then-President Bill Clinton implied that uniforms might help improve safety in schools by minimizing student rivalries. 

The percentage of both private and public schools requiring school uniforms has been on the increase ever since. The NPD Group, a leading provider of consumer and retail information, reported in a study released in 2006 that school uniforms now account for $835 million in sales annually, approximately 5% of the total apparel market for kids ages 5 to 14. According to the same study, the rate of mandated school uniform policies rose 3% between 2000 and 2006. 

Most school administrators, teachers, and parents are familiar with all the arguments both for and against adopting a school uniform program.

Proponents argue that requiring school uniforms helps parents and students take the guesswork out of back-to-school shopping and getting dressed each morning. Overall, it creates a safer school environment and encourages a sense of pride and unity in one's school. Uniforms make it easier to identify anyone on campus who is not from that school. In addition, uniforms minimize socioeconomic differences among students and, thereby, as President Clinton implied, minimize student rivalries. And, especially in today's difficult economy, proponents also like to argue that families whose children are required to wear a school uniform spend less on school-related clothing annually than those who are not. 

Opponents of school uniforms tend to argue that requiring school uniforms limits the students' sense of individuality and creativity. 

Given the emotions, dollars, time, and effort involved in this debate, where is the best place for school administrators to begin the decision-making process? 

Luckily, researchers and schools have begun collecting data over the last 15 years pertaining to this very topic. This empirical data pertains not just to school experience (safety, attendance, etc.) but also to test results. Because, after all, if the students' school environment improves, it follows that their ability to concentrate and learn should improve, as well.

It is important that we point out two important caveats to the following studies. First, the majority of studies to date have been conducted in a public school setting. It seems reasonable to assume that similar results would be found within a private school setting.  And, second, it is virtually impossible for any study to control all of the variables that go into the success/failure, satisfaction/dissatisfaction, behavior, etc. of the students involved in these studies, especially as it pertains to school uniforms.

A More Positive School Environment
In 1994, the Long Beach public schools implemented a district-wide uniform policy for the almost 60,000 students in its kindergarten through eighth grade classes. Within two years of adopting the new policy, the district reported a staggering 71% decrease in overall school crime in those grades vs. a 28% increase in school violence at its high schools where no school uniform policy had been implemented. In addition, the district has enjoyed improved attendance at many of the schools in its district since adopting its uniform policy. 

While the school uniform policy alone may not be responsible for the improvements, district administrators believe it played a significant role. The positive results in two other high-profile studies support this belief. In the fall of 1998, John Adams and Truman middle schools in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, school district adopted a school uniform policy of tucked-in polo shirts and khaki pants or skirts. In a study of the results published by Deborah L. Elder in 1999, she found that during the first semester the policy was in place, both schools experienced noticeable improvement in student behavior, with the total discipline referrals at the two schools falling just over 50%.  

In a second study conducted by Richard K. Murray, students in two Charleston (South Carolina) County middle schools were surveyed in spring 1996 using National Association of Secondary School Principal's Comprehensive Assessment of School Environments (CASE) School Climate Survey. One school had adopted a school uniform policy, the other had not. Students in the uniform school rated climate as more positive in 9 out of 10 subcategories. 

Improved Test Scores
While the findings in Long Beach, Albuquerque, and Charleston seem to confirm that school uniforms can have a positive impact on student behavior and school environment, what about the second half of the argument? Does a more positive school environment translate into improved test scores and student achievement? 

In a study published earlier this year, the University of Houston's Elisabetta Gentile and Scott Imberman looked at performance within an unnamed urban school district that had implemented a school uniform policy over time. The researchers found little impact on performance within the younger grades, but found that uniforms did appear to have a moderately positive impact on students in the middle school grades and higher. In particular, students who were required to wear uniforms showed improvements on language exams and attendance rates, especially among female students.

Save Families Money
In 1999, the NPD conducted a school uniform consumer study. The study found that those families whose children attended schools that required school uniforms spent an average of $85 less on children's clothes per year than those families who did not. Although it is difficult to find more recent data on average school uniform expenditures, we can back into a comparison based on some available data. The National Retail Federation reported that the average American family with school-age children spent $235 in 2008 on back-to-school clothing. Depending on the quality, durability, and manufacturer, a school uniform can cost anywhere from $40 to $75. A well-made school uniform will be durable and should retain its color, shape, and size, enabling parents to use it for more than one child and ideally for multiple school years. My experience indicates that parents buying uniforms spend 20-30% less, on average, than parents buying apparel for non-uniform schools.

Even if back-to-school spending is similar between uniform and non-uniform households, it seems reasonable to assume that the average annual spending for school-related clothing should be less for the school uniform family because they should not have to make additional trips to the mall because of damaged clothing or changing trends.

Troy Pike is president of Parker School Uniforms, www.parkersu.com.