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School uniforms ought to be worn in primary and secondary schools.

There have been two major experiments with uniforms in public schools in the United States, the Long Beach and Baltimore school systems. Both were dramatic successes, and educators in both systems attributed the results entirely to the uniforms policies. Results are measured in terms of discipline problems and academic achievement. The most successful school systems in the US, the parochial schools, and the highest performing school systems overseas (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan) all have policies requiring uniforms. School uniforms work by engendering focus and school spirit, and by eliminating distractions. The human psychology behind the effects of costume on behavior is evidenced broadly, in professions ranging from judges and the military to airline pilots and service workers. (1) Con conjectures that the purpose of judicial robes is to make the judge the center of attention, as if otherwise he or she would not be the center of attention. While the practice of wearing robes is traditional, modern judges believe that enhances the "judicial mode" of thinking: "The robe is considered a reminder of the law and a symbol of neutrality." 35th District Court in Plymouth, Michigan http://www.35thdistrictcourt.org... "The robe symbolizes the authority of the court, differentiating them from the person who is the judge. It vests the person wearing it with all rights and permissions (authorities) that go along with the position of a judge. Contempt towards that individual, then becomes contempt of the court, not the person, because the judge represents and embodies the court as a whole, not the individual person any longer...Having gone all through the booklets on judicial robes when choosing them with my husband, I am more than familiar with what they can and can't wear, and what this is based on, since the companies are kind enough to send informative little packets with the other literature and style choices." http://forums.cnet.com... Con argues that if special apparel enhances judicial thinking, then it should be applied to juries as well. I agree, it would be a definite help. Currently, jurors do not, as a rule, conform to any dress code more strict than, say, what one would wear to the mall. They would do well to have a "trier-of-fact mode," particularly for felony trials. Con argues that in many professions, uniforms are used mainly for identification. Sure, sometimes it helps identification, but identification can most often be accomplished with less cost or effort than wearing a uniform. As in the Old West, law enforcement can be identified by those wearing a badge and carrying a gun. In modern times, a black tee shirt with "POLICE" in white letters is preferred in confusing situations like drug take-downs. Often, in general, a picture badge is better identification than a uniform, because uniforms can be stolen or faked. The military battle dress uniforms are camouflaged, making the soldier harder to identify, not easier. Professions requiring focus and discipline tend to use uniforms, independent of identification. Many have no need to be identified by the public at all, like airline pilots and chefs. Con asks how performance is quantified. That was answered in the cited material early, with measures of discipline and academic performance. The evidence was provided at the same time in the cited statistics related to Long Beach and Baltimore, and in the qualified opinions of educators. In the case of Catholic schools, Brunsma and Rockquemore grant that Catholic schools have better performance, but then attempt to adjust it away statistically, without proper justification. Internationally, for example, the five top countries in eighth grade math are http://nces.ed.gov... Taiwan, Singapore, S. Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan; all having school uniforms. (2) Con argues that having uniforms would encourage competition among schools. That is desirable, because it provides additional motivation for students to excel. It's the job of educators to channel the competition into academic pursuits like the school's overall test scores, or maybe the debate team. I do not claim that uniforms are the only factor in education. The main factor, I claim, is focus and discipline. It is more important, for example, that parents insist that studies be a high priority and that students are impressed by society that education is a serious and important activity. What uniforms accomplish is conveying that message. American schools have many resource advantages compared to other school systems in the world, yet performance is mediocre. We therefore expect that uniforms will have the greatest impact in schools that lack focus, and the least impact in schools that achieve focus through parental involvement. The methodology of Brunsma and Rockquemore was to compare Catholic schools having and not having uniforms to show that uniforms were not the decisive factor; perhaps so, but the before-and-after experience in Long Beach and Baltimore shows that in less disciplined public schools they are an important factor. As a matter of policy, we should do everything that helps education, and that includes uniforms. (3) Con argues, "The concept of fashion trends being distracting is pure fiction. Distractions occur due to boring material or boring teachers, and school uniforms don't fix that." So are we to conclude that eighth grade mathematics in Taiwan and Japan is much more exciting than it is in the United States? An that the excitement is intensified by having much larger classes with less student-teacher interaction? "There are basically five fashion trends of the high schooler today. Each unique fashion style lends itself to its own unique social outlet. While these five fashion trends may be the popular ones of today's high school students, it doesn't mean that there aren't other high school fashion trends. ... The fashionistas search out the hottest fashionable clothing trends for the high schooler. Their main goal is to achieve the ultimate outfit from the hottest fashion trends at their local malls. Fashionistas set the highest standards for high school fashion. The fashionista is a tough job to have as far as high school fashion goes, but someone has to do it. " http://www.associatedcontent.com... The less of this, the better. (4) Con suggests that the rich be taxed to pay for the school uniforms of poor students. that sounds good to me. Agreed. Con argues that "Chasing fashion fads may be expensive, but it's optional. Parents do not have to buy so much clothing for their children." It's not true that teenagers are content to quietly do as they are told by their parents. Requiring uniforms takes one expensive item off the agenda for discussion and compromise. That is why Baltimore parent cited it as strong advantage of the uniforms policy. Perhaps in a different society, the theory of it being "optional" is true, but in the real American society, a uniform policy cuts costs. (c1) Con argues that uniforms limit self-expression. This is admitting it is a distraction from education. There is no limitation on how students express themselves outside of school; some of the Japanese are outrageous cosplayers. In school, the focus should be on school as a profession. (C2) School uniforms do limit diversity, just as do police uniforms, military uniforms, and judicial robes. We want students to focus on the common interest in education. They can express diversity in the academic world of ideas, where it is appropriate. (C3) Con argues that "uniforms enforce conformity, and conformity is stifling to creativity and originality." If expressing oneself through clothing is not allowed, that only leaves intellectual, academic, and social mechanisms for creativity. That's exactly where we want the empha