A Comparison and Contrast Essay: School Uniforms versus No School Uniforms

A Comparison and Contrast Essay: School Uniforms versus No School Uniforms

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A Comparison and Contrast Essay: School Uniforms versus No School Uniforms
Some debate has taken place over recent decades concerning whether public
schools should incorporate uniforms into their dress code. Many elementary schools do
this now, especially in poor inner city districts. Sometimes the adoption of a dress code is
seen in middle schools as well. However, the adoption of a dress code at the high school
level is much rarer. Possibly for that reason, little empirical evidence is available on the
benefits of implementing a uniform in schools (Adams, 2006). When considering
whether to adopt a school uniform, several factors need to be taken into consideration.

First, if debating whether to require uniforms in a high school, consider if wearing
uniforms will be a new concept for that student body. If these students have had to wear
uniforms in elementary and middle school, then requiring first year high school students
to continue doing so will not be as controversial as it might if the requirement was
completely novel to the students. From there, students would continue to wear school
uniforms each year until they graduated (Walmsley, 2011). In contrast, if high school
students have not been required to wear uniforms during the earlier years in school, they
may strongly protest. The easiest way to begin a program requiring school uniforms is to
start in elementary school and let the students continue each year from there.

A second point to consider in comparing or contrasting the use of school uniforms
is cost. Often, the thought of dress codes evoke visions of school jackets with
emblazoned insignia, button-down Oxford shirts, ties, slacks, and skirts. Parents become
concerned about cost. However, a school uniform can simply mean uniformity of dress.
For boys, this can mean dark or kaki colored slacks and polo-styled shirts in basic colors

of navy blue and white. For girls, it might also mean polo-styled shirts and slacks or skirts in designated colors. These items can be found in various department stores at various price.............