Dress code: Does it affect a student’s overall performance in school?
For teens who love strutting around in their low-riding jeans or ultra-miniskirts, the strict dress code enforced by schools, is, at times downright oppressive. Though not all, there definitely are many students – irrespective of which country they hail from- who resent school uniforms.
Does school uniform affect your grades?
While enforcers argue that school uniforms have definite impact on students’ behavior and academic performance, students fail to actually fathom the “connection”. Let us find out what the truth is. In fact, instead of drawing an arbitrary conclusion, we will try to substantiate our claims with the help of results of a few studies, brought to light from time to time.
Right at the onset, we will try and bring the very basic function of school uniforms to the fore. A school generally has students hailing from diverse financial backgrounds. With the absence of a dress code in school, students flaunting more expensive clothes will unwittingly turn out to be a constant source of envy for those who can’t afford equally expensive clothes. Think about it! That’s not really a good space to be in – not for the one envying or the one being envied!
What do the studies have to say?
School uniforms do have distinct benefits. As per an article published in a famous magazine way back in 2009, uniforms play a major role in reducing gang aggression – primarily because every student of a particular school sports the same hue and style. Plus, there is no room for students using their dresses as status symbol. It renders an ambience conducive to harmony. Students can approach studies in a more serious way.
Mandate clothing can actually keep certain fashion out of the school premises without really “spelling out” a ban on the same. For instance, a student knows that he will have to comply with the dress code of the institution no matter how badly he wants to sport a pair of ripped jeans or pajamas. The school hasn’t officially banned them but has spelt out its mandatory dress code clearly.
Studies have even gone on to suggest that school uniforms do impact students’ grades, behavior and attendance. Around 160 schools in an urban district were surveyed and it was established that both male and female students demonstrated improvement in middle and high schools. Though girls in general showed higher rate of improvement, both the genders showed some kind of betterment nonetheless. In an academic year, girls missed one day less in school.
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