The problem with school Uniforms - By Alfie Kohn

Source : http://www.alfiekohn.org/

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The author of thirteen books and scores of articles, he lectures at education conferences and universities as well as to parent groups and corporations.

UPDATE! We wrote to Alfie Kohn to see if we could interview him for our blog. Although he is not available for an interview, he is encouraging us to continue! 

"Thanks very much for your note.  I'm afraid I don't have time for an interview, but you are very welcome to quote from my article on your blog. Good luck with your quest to change minds!

Alfie Kohn
www.alfiekohn.org

" 

 


Here are a few thoughts on School Uniforms by Alfie Kohn - You can read the full blog post by clicking here

"Just as the proponents of “school choice” never talk about how much choice students have about what happens in the classroom, so the advocates of uniformity assume that the only objection to dress codes is that kids want the freedom to wear whatever they wish.

Overlooked is the more substantive argument, that kids don’t learn much of value in an environment where they are excluded from decision making.

Subsequently, a large study, using National Educational Longitudinal Study data, found that uniforms provided absolutely no benefit, either academically or with respect to such variables as absenteeism, behavior, or drug use. See David L. Brunsma and Kerry A. Rockquemore’s report, which appeared in the Sept.-Oct. 1998 issue of the Journal of Educational Research – volume 92, no. 1, pages 53-62.

 A local investigation by The Tennessean (published in March 2007) likewise found no difference in suspension or attendance rates between Nashville-area schools with and without uniform policies. Its reporters checked in with Professor Brunsma, who said it remained the case that not a single controlled study has supported the use of uniforms.]

Can class differences be smoothed over by making kids dress identically? (In any case, those very real differences ought to be addressed openly rather than camouflaged.)

The real alternative to uniforms is not merely to allow different clothing styles: it is to work with students to transform schools into democratic communities where everyone’s voice counts. "

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