16th Century England
"School Uniform")
It all started in 16th Century England. Uniforms were first established for the poor students of England. These students went to what were called "charity schools." The schools used uniforms because they were cheap to make and all of the students could buy one pair and be set for the year. This was the standard until the 19th century. By the end of the 19th century, students even in the elite schools began to utilize these uniforms (Mehrotra).
Recently, uniforms have not been common, but they are not an outlandish idea, either. They are mainly used in Catholic schools, as well as Preparatory schools. These would be considered private schools. Although there has been a 12% increase from the 1999-2000 school year, only 19% of public schools require their students to wear uniforms ("School Uniform"). As the years go on, the concept of uniforms becomes more accepted across the country.
This idea for uniforms to reduce violence in school was proven to be effective. One of the more well known studies done on this topic was in Long Beach, California, in 1994. In this area, all of the students from kindergarten through eighth grade were mandated to wear a uniform. This was a total of 70,000 students, with a 98% compliance rate (Wade). The number of fights in the school was reduced by 54% (Wade). There was also a 43% reduction in student suspensions (Wade). This is the basis of why I believe schools across the United States should require uniforms to be worn.
- "If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require students to wear school uniforms." -President Clinton during his State of the Union address in February 1996 (Mitchell).
Recently, uniforms have not been common, but they are not an outlandish idea, either. They are mainly used in Catholic schools, as well as Preparatory schools. These would be considered private schools. Although there has been a 12% increase from the 1999-2000 school year, only 19% of public schools require their students to wear uniforms ("School Uniform"). As the years go on, the concept of uniforms becomes more accepted across the country.
This idea for uniforms to reduce violence in school was proven to be effective. One of the more well known studies done on this topic was in Long Beach, California, in 1994. In this area, all of the students from kindergarten through eighth grade were mandated to wear a uniform. This was a total of 70,000 students, with a 98% compliance rate (Wade). The number of fights in the school was reduced by 54% (Wade). There was also a 43% reduction in student suspensions (Wade). This is the basis of why I believe schools across the United States should require uniforms to be worn.