School Uniforms and Self Esteem

On Wearing School Uniforms
One of the biggest problems that teens face in school is the problem of peer pressure. As Bandura (2018) notes, the pressure to adapt one’s behavior in order to fit in or stand out comes from media, peers and groups—and in a school, peers are the biggest factor. One way to alleviate that pressure is to create an environment in which everyone fits in ipso facto—and that can easily be achieved by obliging all students to wear a school uniform. One is used to seeing students of private schools wear uniforms, but in public schools this idea is typically shunned. There are good arguments to be made, however, for uniforms to be mandated by public schools. First off, research has shown that school uniforms actually promote good conduct among students and more formal adherence to the rules and regulations of the school. Second, parents and teachers support the idea. Third, it is a way to level the playing field and keep teens from thinking about how they should look: focus can be on books instead of on looks. Fourth, uniforms can instill greater confidence in students by helping to create an environment in which self-esteem and self-actualization can be achieved. While there is no real consensus among researchers as to what the empirical justification for school uniforms is, this paper will argue that school uniforms are simply a common sense way to help reduce peer pressure in public schools and get young students focused on believing in themselves, in each other, and in their school. Thus, this paper will show that school uniforms can promote positive self-esteem and self-belief in elementary school age children.
The good conduct basis for this argument comes from a study by Stanley (1996) on the Long Beach Unified School District, which in 1994 made uniforms mandatory for all K-8 students. Long Beach was the first public school district in the nation to mandate uniforms, and Stanley (1996) conducted a two-year study of the students of the school district from 1993 to 1995 to see if there was any correlation between the implementation of the uniform policy and alterations in student behavior. Stanley (1996) found that indeed there was a correlation: significant improvement in the conduct of the district’s nearly 100,000 students was demonstrated following the mandatory adoption of school uniforms. Suspension rates declined 28% in the elementary schools and 36% in the middle schools; fights decreased by 51% in grades K-8, and assault and battery incidents decreased 34% in the elementary and middle schools (Stanley, 1996). In short, a significant correlation between uniform-wearing in public schools and improved student conduct was evident.
The statistically significant findings of Stanley’s (1996) study are convincing in their own right—but parents and teachers bring another perspective to the argument that shows how simply from a common sense perspective adopting school uniforms in public schools can be beneficial. For example, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and uniform manufacturer Lands’ End surveyed school leaders across the nation and found that the overwhelming majority of them believe their school uniform or formal dress code policies have had a positive impact on classroom discipline (85%), the school's image in the community (83%), student safety (79%), school pride (77%), and student achievement (64%) (NAESP, 2013). These survey results are supported by myriad anecdotal pieces of evidence from parents and teachers who believe uniforms take pressure off kids to feel accepted based on the look and styling of their clothes and that, as a result, they are more inclined to focus on what they are there to do in the first place: learn (Caruso, 1996).
There is also a leveling of the playing field for young students when schools remove focus from dress by implementing school uniforms. When every student is wearing the same thing to school every day—i.e., a uniform—there is no one who stands out or draws attention because of dress. In schools without uniforms, dress is a major issue because it is a factor in how one is perceived, judged, and accepted or rejected by peers. Some students can afford nicer clothes while others cannot. Classism becomes embedded in the school among the students. Uniforms, however, level the playing field, which means that bias and prejudice based on appearance are a non-factor (Murray, 1997). Instead of being judged by appearances, young students are more likely to be accepted by peers based on behavior.
In an environment in which there is no peer pressure to be accepted based on dress, students can focus more on the cultivation of the intellect and of one’s manners, which facilitates the development of self-esteem and self-belief because it is something that the student can control. The student cannot control how much money his or her parents make or to what extent his clothing is deemed appealing or proper by peers. The student can, however, control the extent to which he or she succeeds at school by focusing on schooling—which is easier to do when there is less focus on superficial externalities like dress. As Murray (1997) shows, school uniforms facilitate the cultivation of a school climate in which everyone feels more confident about themselves—who they are as people rather than how they are judged by peers based on what they wear. Fox and Lindwall (2014) show that the self-esteem of young children is boosted by doing—i.e., by action, whether it is in sports or in the classroom: young children take pride in their abilities. When they are lured into thinking that how they look is what matters most, they begin to be less confident in themselves.
The uniform’s appeal goes beyond eradicating the superficial threat of being judged based upon one’s clothing. It also helps to cultivate the right kind of atmosphere and environment for the development of honor and appreciation for the higher things. School uniforms serve as a factor in promoting elementary school children’s positive self-esteem and self-belief by creating a spirit of connectedness: every child sees that he or she is part of the same school. They all dress the same and look the same: they share the same external identity as students of the school. Their uniform links them by a commonality that would otherwise not be present. The school uniform creates a connectedness and a healthy, safe environment, which has a direct link to student achievement, behavior, and self-esteem (Reclaiming Children and Youth, 2010). Culture plays such a crucial role in the fostering of self-esteem that to overlook it is to make a big mistake in viewing how self-esteem is actually developed. As Bandura (2018) points out, peers, groups, and media shape one’s behavior—and if one is seeking acceptance, one is going to want to fit in by appearing the same as others. The school uniform creates an atmosphere in which fitting in is easy: there is no longer any stress about overcoming the hurdle of being the new person or of standing out because of how one looks. Instead, students can focus on what matters—whether one is behaving as one should, accomplishing academic feats in school, or having success as a student. The school uniform gives students the ability to move beyond designer fashions and brands. The uniform gives one a sense of identity and belonging. It opens the door to academic achievement and improvements in safety (no more bullying based on appearances) and in self-esteem (students take pride in themselves and their academic pursuits).
In spite of all the arguments for why school uniforms should be implemented, there is a lack of consensus in the research and a need for more empirical evidence (Bodine, 2003). The fact that researchers can conduct studies that arrive at two completely different conclusions shows how difficult it can be to control for all variables or to test a hypothesis such as this one. Different researchers may approach the issue with their own biases, which they are unable to filter or bracket out. Or their methodologies may differ significantly, leading to differences in samples and sample sizes. The fact is that there has been no gold standard study conducted to see if there is any statistically significant difference in achievement and self-esteem between students who do not wear uniforms and students who do. The reason for this is that it is essentially impossible to control for all the variables that might impact such a study. Uniforms, one must admit, are but one part of the equation. Families, parents, neighborhoods, media—all these elements also play a part, as Bandura (2018) observes in his study on what influences behavior.
In conclusion, there is much evidence that shows how much of an impact school uniforms can have on student achievement and self-esteem. The Long Beach study, for example, showed how influential uniforms can be. Parents and teachers have all argued that uniforms make it so much easier for students to focus on what matters—their studies. Common sense suggests that when students where uniforms they are more likely to feel accepted and part of a whole rather than as rejects or outsiders who must try to find a way to fit in. All the evidence may not be in, but what has been produced signals that school uniforms help a lot more than they could possibly hurt.
References
Bandura, A. (2018). Toward a psychology of human agency: Pathways and reflections.  Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 130-136.
Bodine, A. (2003). School uniforms, academic achievement, and uses of research. The Journal of Educational Research, 97(2), 67-71.
Caruso, P. (1996). Individuality vs. conformity: The issue behind school uniforms.  NASSP Bulletin, 80(581), 83-88.
Fox, K. R., & Lindwall, M. (2014). Self-esteem and self-perceptions in sport and exercise. In Routledge Companion to Sport and Exercise Psychology (pp. 58-72). Routledge.
Murray, R. K. (1997). The impact of school uniforms on school climate. NASSP Bulletin, 81(593), 106-112.
NAESP. (2013). National Survey of School Leaders Reveals 2013 School Uniform Trends. Retrieved from https://www.naesp.org/national-survey-school-leaders-reveals-2013-school-uniform-trends
School connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective factors among youth. (2010). Reclaiming Children and Youth, 19(3), 20-24.
Stanley, M. S. (1996). School uniforms and safety. Education and Urban Society, 28(4), 424-435.