What are the pros and cons of having school uniforms for students on American public schools?

There are some practical benefits. Kids (or their parents) don't have to spend as much time deciding (and arguing about) what to wear every morning. They also do not need to spend as much money on clothing.

Most importantly, children avoid falling into the trap of judging each other by appearances. Uniforms don't automatically solve the problems of bullying and clique-ishness, but they do remove one catalyst for bullying. A kid can't reasonably pick on another for dressing like a dork if he or she's wearing the same thing.

Children who wear uniforms in school also focus on other, better, and more meaningul outlets for self-expression.

And how much self-expression can a kid exercise through wardrobe if, as I've noticed in schools without uniforms, the children substitute their own often viciously enforced dress codes and associated caste systems?

When you look at the police officer, those in the military ,nurses and many who work at specific jobs, the uniform unites them. During a competition, in basketball,football etc. it is easy to recognize a team member or those who are cheering for your success. Without a dress code like a uniform, many students would appear vulgar and low class because of the desire to be noticed and appealing to the opposite sex.

Some students wear uniform but they wear a Land belt or Clark's shoes or carry a schoolbag that announces a price. At my high school, our uniform extended to our blazers and sweaters, which had to be uniform colour and were worn during the colder months.

By far the greatest benefit to requiring student uniforms in American public schools would be the promotion of equality. You're right, students who wear uniforms do interact more than those who don't. Why? Social standing almost always boils down to money. So if everyone wears uniforms, they can't connect based on the fact that they are hundred-dollar Abercrombie & Fitch jeans while others are dressed in Wal-Mart clothing. It erases the lines between lower-middle-class and upper-middle-class, which releases some of the potential social tension. True, even private schools with their uniforms are sectioned into cliques. However, these cliques are based solely on mutual interests, and not who has the most money to blow at the mall.

On the other hand, there is a certain liberation for not having to wear uniforms. More so than anything else, students use their wardrobes at school as a way to express themselves. A person walking past you down the hallway may not say a single word to you, but will probably be judging you on the spot based on your current choice of clothing. It's all about passing judgment.

While I enjoy the ability to dress as I choose, I feel that my high school social life could have been much easier had I attended a private or uniformed school.

The question of which is better comes down to whether or not you support the right to judge people based on their clothing and appearance, because that is the biggest difference between uniformed and casually dressed students.

Pro - My children have to wear uniforms. They stand for uniform check every morning. This is a public school. I think the peer pressure is less because kids (especially girls) cannot judge another if their clothes arent as hip as the next person. It also teaches the kids discipline.

Con - The school can get nit-picky about a grey stripe on the shoes when their supposed to be all white.

I live in australia and all schools wear uniforms.

The pro's of school uniform are........

1. There is no stress of what to wear.

2. There's no social qualms because everyone is wearing the same thing.

3. Safety. A child is recognisable by what they are wearing. A school uniform may have made all the difference for Jaycee Lee Dugard.

The cons of uniform are..........

1. must be worn everyday so can be expensive and time consuming when washing all the time.

2. School has a tendancy to get upset over runners instead of leather shoes.

So that's about it really. I think unifroms are the best way to go.

I don't see any cons in making school uniforms a requirement. Many of today's distractions in governmnet schools come about as a result of lax or unenforced dress codes. School should be a place of learning, not a place of "self expression"... at least not through the clothes that one wears. If any self expression should be going on in government schools it should be through the intellectual effort that the students put forth when applying themselves to the furthering of their educations.

Pros:

1. Fewer distractions for other students.

2. Fewer decisions to make about which clothes to buy.

3. Children will have to distinguish themselves from the others through the quality of their work, not their outlandish outfits.

School uniforms traditionally represent the equality of education. We are all the same in the learning process. Others feel that wearing a uniform represents discipline. I feel that wearing them is a positive step to helping students achieve. I also feel they project a positive feeling. Most importantly, students are not judged by what they have, what brand they have and how many changes of clothing they can wear in one week.

I worked in a school that had a uniform policy. The policy was not mandatory due to the objections of some parents. The year started with a majority of the students wearing the uniform. To some families it was a positive thing because good looking and fitting uniforms could be purchased from stores at low costs. I can only imagine the time saving costs because parents did not have to think about what their child would wear the next day, The negative about uniforms was that some students were still teased about their clothing because they wore the same uniform daily, or they just did not want to that their parents caved. Parents have to set the tone and make the use of uniforms a positive experience. Teachers also have to support students who wear them as I feel that it is helpful for students and parents.