12.+RESEARCH+PAPER

Imagine that your child is starting a public school and the school he/she came from didn't have to wear a dress code. This new school requires a mandatory dress code and the child is not use to wearing the same thing everyday. Can he/she wear a school uniform for 180 days? Many kids around the world wear a uniform for various reasons. To know who goes to the school and to look equal with out no kids being under pressure.

Dress codes vs. Individualization

1. What are the pros and cons in having a dress code?

Some of the pros in having a dress code are that it prepares children for their career life where uniforms are needed. You don't have to worry about what to wear on a school day. You can save your street clothes for a day when u want to go out. It promotes equality for everyone because they all wear the same thing and don’t have to worry about nobody getting teased and less pressure on kids. It starts to increase the school pride. It can also help to assist in discipline problems. It would also be fewer distractions from students. It improves the social outcome in a school's environment, student's behavior and academic.

Some of the cons are that the uniforms don't be fashionable. Some people get tired of wearing the same clothes everyday. Parents, today argue that uniforms violate their freedom of expression. Parents raise concerns about the cost and they can be very expensive. School is also the place where the next actors, writers, artists, politicians, inventors, designers and musicians are trained. School uniforms send a clear early-life message to students that conformity is important and creativity is not, that authority is allowed to abuse its power and constrain our constitutional right to free speech and expression. Students learn from uniforms that their individuality, political opinions and religious rights are unimportant, as is their education. students are regularly suspended for non compliance to the uniform code even if their school work is excellent. If uniform-requiring schools were actually in 'the business of learning' this would not occur.

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2. What’s the difference between individualization and a dress code?

Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or "types" because you don't want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person's style, each person's motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person's life. This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and why you tailor your teaching style to accommodate one person's need to be shown and another's desire to "figure it out as I go." Because you are such a keen observer of other people's strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive teams. A dress code is when everybody has to follow it.

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3. What are some ways students express their individuality?

Many educators and sociology experts believe that requiring children to wear standardized uniforms stifles their self-expression. Self-expression is an important part of child development and some experts believe that curbing it with uniforms can be detrimental to a child. Experts also believe that students who are forced to wear uniforms will only find other, less appropriate ways to express themselves, possibly through inappropriate use of make-up and jewelry. Some experts believe that, more than in any other area, school uniforms improve the social outcomes in a school environment. Clothing and fashion are often at the root of social conflict. Children are often ridiculed by other children because of the way they dress. Many children use clothing to express themselves and to define themselves. This self-expression and definition often leads to the formation of cliques in the school environment. Many students feel that they are judged according to what they wear by other students, as well as by teachers and administrators. School uniforms remove these factors from the social environment within the school, thus relieving students from the pressure to fit in. If you can wear a non-regulation coat, buy one that’s knee-length and belted at the waist or any coat you like. You can start collecting brooches and pins; different ones for different moods. Try to avoid badges (unless they are exceptionally stylish) but snap up any interesting school pins you see. Pin them on your sweater or blazer. Accessories with hats, scarves and gloves especially fingerless ones, since you can write with them on. In winter, look for oversized knit hats or tea-cozy hats. Get one in a color that still looks right with the rest of your school uniform. If you’re into old-fashioned style, wear vintage silk scarves on your head when you’re having a bad hair day. Switch your generic shoelaces for a pair that make you smile and, instead of boring black lace-up shoes, try a pair of ankle boots, Mary Janes (with a platform!) or crazy sneakers. If your school will let you get away with wearing legwarmers, do that, too.

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4. If not wearing a dress code, what are the consequences?

Some of the consequences for not wearing a proper school uniform are getting sent home. Maybe a phone call home or a detention. Some staff members take it to the next level and suspend you. Students who do not meet dress code standards face disciplinary action. The offense and subsequent consequence, does not change because a student is able to alter his or her clothing after they have been confronted. Repeated violations will result in progressive discipline for the students and may result in suspension from school in accordance to Chapter 19.

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5. How does not wearing a uniform effect the way you learn at school?

Not wearing a school uniform means they will put their fashion taste before their learning requirements. They spend so much time wondering what to wear and how to make a fashion statement. When they go home and suppose to do their homework, study for a test or something they do the opposite and try to get a outfit ready for the next school day. Uniforms decrease self-esteem for some people. Some students just like getting dress and don’t know when its appropriate and when its not. It shows in their schoolwork and later their grades. A child is supposed to go to school to learn how to read, write, learn how to do math, and to learn about the history of our country. They do not go to school to learn about what the latest fashion is.

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6. Why do people disregard the dress code?

Some kids like to show their sense of fashion. They always get dressed up and just because its school don’t mean that’s going to stop them. When it starts getting hot females like wearing short skirts although its inappropriate for school cause u will be able to see their undergarments if they make a certain movement. Wearing tank tops is a distraction for both males and females. That’s why its not allowed to be worn in school.

7. What are dress codes in various schools?

West Philly High wear navy blue shirts w/ a orange logo and tan bottoms Bartram wear white and black shirts and black bottoms PET wear white and blue collar shirts w/ a gray vest and black bottoms Overbrook wear black, gray, and white uniform shirts w/ black and khaki bottoms University wear white shirts w/ black bottoms Parkway wear white shirts w/ a blue and red logo and black and tan bottoms Richard Allen Prep wear light blue shirts w/ a navy blue logo and navy blue bottoms w/ black shoes Heston elementary wear yellow shirts and navy blue bottoms Mastery Charter wear white shirts w/ navy blue bottoms MCSCS wear white shirts w/ navy blue bottoms and black shoes Discover Charter wear black shirts w/ a red, green, yellow logo and tan bottoms CEP wear yellow, burgundy, green, and blue shirts w/ tan bottoms Germantown wear gray shirts and gray bottoms Simon-Gratz wear white shirts w/ a red logo and tan bottoms

8. Why and when did they choose a dress code in Philadelphia?

1997, 3% all public schools required school uniforms; three years later, the level topped 12%, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The department also found that 47% of public schools enforced a strict dress code. The federal government takes a new look at the issue in 2006. Proponents say dress codes and school uniforms increase school safety by taking out the gang-related clothing and helping the no students on campus feel more safer. Other potential benefits cited include better student behavior, more resistance to peer pressure and improved emphasis on academics. The movement has received several boosts in the last year or two, the biggest being President Clinton's endorsement of the use of school uniforms during his State of the Union address in January of 1996. Concerning student safety, he said: "If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over de-signer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require students to wear school uniforms." He has brought the idea up during speeches around the country, saying that "we must get violence out of our schools, and we must put discipline and learning back in our schools". Support also came through a voice vote from the National Association of Secondary School Principals during their national conference in February, 1996. __[]__ []

9. Does wearing a school uniform increase or decrease the violence?

School violence is a very real and ever increasing problem. Administrators, teachers and parents are looking for a way to make our public schools safer for students and staff. One idea they came up with is for students to wear uniforms. This might seem like a viable option and early attempts seemed promising, little empirical evidence has been collected that supports the reduction of violence by merely requiring students to wear certain clothing. Nobody thinks that the public schools today are increasing more dangerously for students and staff. School is not the safest place for the children to spend their time, on school property and around there. This is not only true in our inner-city schools, but also in our suburban and rural schools. Students still rep their hood, and wear the colored bandanas for their gang. Just cause they have on a uniform don't mean its going to change the way they do things or take actions.

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10. Why do we have a dress code?

We have a dress code to help the students avoid ridicule, embarrassment, or abuse from others over the 'have and have-not' stigma. Uniforms assist in avoiding such conflicts by removing the chance for confrontation over clothing, at least during the student's at-school time. By putting in the dress code children can be more focused on their school work rather than what they are wearing and what other children are wearing. Although, student dress code does not cause or will not cure all the problems facing our schools. Implementing a dress code or uniform policy should be only one of several changes designed to improve standards in schools.