Are School Uniforms and
Middle School Reform Compatible?
Kristi Kahl serves as assistant to the Superintendent for middle school
reform in the Long Beach (CA) Unified School District. In April 1997, at
the request of a reporter, she shared these personal comments about the
school system's highly publicized school uniform policy:
(Go here for more background
about the LBUSD uniform policy) 
I was a middle school teacher during the first year of districtwide middle
school uniform implementation. I too, chose to wear a uniform. Not only
was it easier to get dressed every morning, but for me I felt a tremendous
sense of school pride and spirit each day that I wore my uniform. My students,
for the most part, felt the same. Because it was new, it was something we
talked about and wrote about. We debated the pros and cons, and most students
agreed the benefits simply outweighed any perceived negative reactions that
some students had.
Because of my own personal experience as a middle school classroom teacher,
I really do fail to see how uniforms represent a return to "a page
from the old days" and why anyone would question their compatability
with middle school reform philosophy, or dealing with the "whole child."
First of all, we were the first public school district in the nation to
implement uniforms. I don't think anyone here thought it was from the old
days. We knew we were the first, and we considered ourselves trailblazers,
not a system anxious for the nostalgia of the past.
Secondly, contrary to what some may believe, middle school reform is not
about making kids (or adults for that matter) feel good. It is about equity,
and high standards of academic achievement. It is about doing things that
engage students in their learning -- learning that is content-embedded.
We believe that in order to reach these higher levels and address the "whole
child," students must be in an environment that is sensitive to their
developmental needs, where they are treated fairly and with respect, where
they receive age-appropriate, challenging instruction, and where they are
held accountable for their dress, behavior, and schoolwork. Uniforms are
simply one piece of the entire picture of school reform in Long Beach Unified.
You specifically asked what elements of middle school reform are addressed
by uniforms. I think it goes right back to addressing the needs of the "whole
child." Middle school students can sometimes be cruel. If a child does
not have the "right" brand or style of clothing, students can
make life very difficult for that student. As a teacher, I could always
immediately identify my less affluent students by what they were wearing.
Some of these students wore the same clothes most everyday. They were teased
by their peers and this was very difficult for these kids. After uniforms,
I had a much more difficult time telling which child came from which type
of home environment. It really made me think... was I treating these children
differently based on their socioeconomic level? I would certainly hope not,
but I cannot be sure. Of course, it is important for teachers to help students
understand that teasing is not acceptable; however, uniforms really helped
to eliminate that kind of teasing. This was really helpful for the classroom
climate.
As far as being a "drain" on classroom teachers, I just don't
hear about this kind of problem. Each of our schools has its own system
for dealing with students out of uniform. Several schools keep "loaners"
on hand and require students to change their clothes if they arrive out
of uniform. One school I visited this morning uses a sweep method. The PE
teachers do not have advisory classes, so they "sweep" the advisory
classrooms, find students out of uniform, and bring them to the PE offices
to change. A school I visited before vacation uses a method of spot checking,
that is, they pick a part of the uniform (the day I was there it was girls'
skirts, pants, or shorts) and they announce it over the loudspeaker during
advisory. Any girl who is wearing an inappropriate "bottom" is
sent to the office and an administrator contacts a parent.
Once a school has communicated that uniforms are going to be taken seriously,
the students just seem to comply. One of our schools with the best uniform
implementation, has been strict from day one. But essentially, each school
has been allowed to work out their own plan for ensuring that the students
are wearing their uniforms.
Do uniforms generate parent participation? I believe they have. It is certainly
something that almost everyone loves to talk about (whether they are pro
or con)! I think that our teachers and site administrators have had the
opportunity to meet parents who, without questions about the uniforms, might
not have contacted the school. This allows conversations about other issues
to develop.
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