America Needs Mandatory Essay

Mandating uniforms in public schools across the country will not only help families financially but will also cut down on bullying and keep children more focused. Many people with school age children have difficulty on deciding whether or not school uniforms should be mandatory within the public school system. Throughout over 20 years of research, statistics tell schools, families and society that school uniforms improve not only the children and their education, but also the school, staff and parents.

Implementing school uniforms within the public schools improves educational studies. Research has been done in several school districts across the county, but two of the school districts brought significant within in a year of setting school

Many feel that when making school uniforms mandatory the school system is taking away the child’s First Amendment “Freedom of Speech”. Others feel that their children will not be able to express themselves or their culture if they wear uniforms, affecting their self-esteem. Caruso (1996) reported that federal judges are evenly divided on the issue that school uniforms are an infringement of First Amendment rights (West, Tidwwll, Bomba, Elmore, Alexander. 1999). While children will not be able to express their outward appearance to gain approval form different groups and cultures, they will be able to accept one another as people and not an outfit, group or financial status. More parents in our study disagreed with the statement "Uniforms enhance a child's self-confidence" than agreed. Although this concept has been used as an argument for the use of uniforms, our findings indicate that parents did not believe that the wearing of school uniforms would enhance self-confidence. More parents in our study agreed rather than disagreed with the statements that uniforms create a climate more conducive to learning and that uniforms promote a spirit of school pride, which is consistent with arguments favoring the use of school uniforms (Caruso, 1996; U.S. Department of Education, 1996). If school uniforms give a child a sense of pride, that alone will boost a child’s self-confidence. Within the study, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences “AAFCS” professionals should "Work closely with parents in establishing dress policies for school youth . . . Get input from students ... Incorporate teaching values about clothing ... Strive to build self-esteem among youth" (West, Tidwwll, Bomba, Elmore, Alexander. 1999). Not only should the AAFCS make these task mandatory but the schools, parents and children working together throughout the change of making uniforms mandatory be in