Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger, are you in debt because of these people?  These brands are what kids always look for when shopping for clothes, and they can be very expensive.  From a twenty dollar pair of socks to a simple shirt that costs sixty dollars.  Some of this clothing can't even be worn to school because either the jeans are too baggy or the shorts or skirts worn are too short.  These problems could all be solved with a uniform.  Dress code in schools has always been a problem
because students somehow find it hard to follow the rules on what they can or cannot to school; therefore I feel uniforms should be enforced upon students from elementary to high school.  This will help teach discipline, focus less on certain groups, and break down on economic differences.

Uniforms will teach discipline by focusing more on studies and not on what they are wearing, whether it is to look good or just getting around to figuring out what to wear.  Trying to find something to wear can take up to hours, and make kids loose focus on getting around to finishing homework.  At times, wearing certain different clothes can cause some students to harass each other.  Harassment can be reduced drastically starting with the clothing worn, which increases respect towards one another.  Kids can be so cruel at times, and even in high school, their thinking level is still very immature.  This method will teach kids as well as teenagers to get ready for the real world.  When they see everyone wearing the same uniform they will tend to not even pay attention to each others clothing.  Wearing a uniform can bring unison among students without them realizing it.  This way kids will be able to work with each other and see each other the same way without discipline problems.  Other discipline problems that are dangerous and can be avoided with uniforms is less weapons in schools.  If everyone follows a certain dress code, weapons can be detected faster and avoid a bigger problem or even a casualty.  Now a days most of the times that kids get in to verbal fights the next thing they end up doing sometimes is pulling out a weapon and they can hurt each other, and with uniforms they won’t be able to conceal any weapons because they'll be too visible.

Wearing uniforms can also help focus less on certain groups, because sometimes wearing a certain label on a certain piece of clothing can immediately get you labeled as part of a certain group.  For example a person, male or female, can like to dress with baggy jeans, flannel shirts, and even wear bandannas on their head because they feel comfortable wearing that type of clothes, can automatically be labeled a "cholo" or "chola," and getting asked ridiculous questions such as, "what gang are you from?"  This applies to any type of group, as well. Getting labeled or stereotyped by what you wear can cause problems with any group, which that person might not even know who that group is, less be part of.  They can also be mistaken for others and people will see them as a part of that group and even be targeted by people from their own schools.  Conflicts can occur to a person without them knowing why, but their way of dressing can have a lot to do with it.  If kids are doing something wrong out in public while in uniform, I agree that it will give the school a bad name, but it will also be easier to identify those students and help keep them out of trouble.  Dressing different can cause kids to do things they would not normally do, to try to fit in a crowd at school that they feel they need to belong to, in order to do well at school. Uniforms can change this way of thinking on children.

I understand and agree that this is the United States of America, and we should be able to wear what we want and how we want because we are a free country and our Constitution allows us to.  However, we need to avoid disciplinary problems with our children and the sooner they learn to understand and obi by rules, the better it will be for their future.  Society sometimes can misperceive who a person is, disregarding age; just by the way they dress and can judge them unfairly.  With uniforms we can avoid some of the negative perceptions that we can have of each other.  Uniforms can help reduce conflicts that are brought upon with clothing.  Sometimes clothing that we like to wear out in public is not acceptable at school anyway.  So why even have to worry about school dress code, when we can have a school uniform to make it easier on our children for the better of their future, as well as ours.

Uniforms can also help break down barriers of economic differences by not emphasizing on name brands to see who has what designer or who is wearing the latest styles.  Less teasing will be done on clothes because you can't tell the difference between uniforms because they will all have the same label and if worn out, torn, or even grown out of, will not be a problem because they'll be purchased yearly at a reasonable price. This will also benefit parents if they have economic problems, by spending money once a year, instead of three or four times a month on jeans, shirts, or other clothing accessories.  Money can be a big problem for parents around the back to school time, and this will definitely help reduce their budget and time.

It's hard enough for kids to go to school and be safe, and with uniforms as a requirement it can help them be more disciplined, focus less on groups, worry less on money differences, and most important have a safe environment overall.  Uniforms can help teach them that in order to be successful and accomplish many goals we have to look beyond what we are wearing.  Concentrating on school should be a student's number one priority, because it's what you learn that gets you ahead, not what you wear to school.
 
 

Wilkins, Julia School uniforms. [Commentary] Humanist. 59(2): 19-22. 1999 Mar.
 
 

Corradini, Deedee Making schools safe for kids. [Feature] USA Today. 127(2648): 48-49. 1999 May.

King, Keith A. Should school uniforms be mandated in elementary schools? [Commentary] Journal of School Health. 68(1): 32-37. 1998 Jan.