Works Cited
Bodine, Ann. “School Uniforms, Academic Achievement, and Uses of Research.” The Journal of Educational Research 97.2 (Nov./Dec. 2003): 67-71.
This article presents information on why schools desire to use school uniforms, addresses the issue of a study that says school uniforms have a negative effect on academic achievement, and claims that more research shows that the majority of schools find that school uniforms offer positive effects in academic achievement. This article provides a study based on a National Education Longitudinal Study, is written by an expert in the field, and published in a peer-reviewed journal, so it is a reliable source of information. It provides an expert view on school uniforms valuable for this paper.
Brunsma, David and Rockquemore, Kerry Ann. “Statistics, Sound Bites, and School Uniforms: A Reply to Bodine.” The Journal of Educational Research 97.2 (Nov./Dec. 2003): 72-77.
This article refutes the work of another scholar in the field of Education, Ann Bodine, who believes that school uniforms have a positive effect on academic achievement and other factors. These authors believe that school uniforms do not have a positive effect on academic achievement, and use statistics from various studies to back up their claim. A particularly interesting part of this article is in the conclusion when the researchers discuss the role of academics such as themselves in making educational policies. This paper is written by experts in the field, published in a peer-reviewed journal, and is a good source of contrasting opinion for this paper.
Buesing, Matt. “Case Closed: School Uniforms Cost Less.” Uniform Web, 27 Sept. 2010. Web.
This article provides information describing the typical conflict between school administration and parents concerning expense when a school uniform requirement is considered. It offers a number of examples concerning how much parents spend on clothing for children in school systems without uniforms and how much parents spend on a typical set of uniforms. It also cites sources regarding the benefits of having school uniforms. The writer, Matt Buesing, is a reliable source of information because he has worked with school districts nationally in developing school uniforms and uniform policies, and he is a school board member in Middle Township, New Jersey. This article provides a variety of facts that are useful in the discussion of school uniforms.
Children’s World. “School Uniforms – Now More Than Ever!” Terrebone Parish Communities Online, n.d. Web. Accessed 19 Oct. 2012.
This website provides some information about the growing support for school uniforms in the United States. It cites President Clinton’s January 1996 State of the Union address as one of the big reasons why school uniforms have gained support in both private and public schools. It offers a list of pros and cons for school uniforms and some information from statewide studies concerning school uniforms. Some of the information provided comes from the experience of the creators of the web page, Terrebone Parish, which is a parochial private school. This website provides accurate citations from outside information as well as opinion from experience that is supported by its school’s own use of uniforms. There is a variety of information here that is useful for the paper.
“Fast Facts: School Uniforms.” National Center for Educational Statistics, n.d. Web. Accessed 19 Oct 2012. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=50
This government website provides information about how many schools in the United States require school uniforms. Its information comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics through its publication Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2011. Although it offers little information, this web page comes from a reliable source and provides some basic information that is useful to the topic of the paper.
“More About School Uniforms: Facts and Figures.” French Toast, n.d. Web. Accessed 19 Oct. 2012.
This website offers some information on how Bill Clinton played a role in encouraging the use of uniforms and dress codes in schools, as well as basic information about school uniforms themselves regarding physical requirements as well as statistics. Although French Toast is a commercial website, it cites the source of its facts as coming from the National Purchase Diary School Uniform Custom Study, so this information is more reliable than if the company made guesses or estimations about school uniforms. It provides an interesting variety of facts very appropriate for use in this paper.
Rhodes, Virginia, Stevens, Douglas, and Hemmings, Annette. “Creating Positive Culture in a New Urban High School.” The High School Journal 94.3 (Spring 2011): 82-94.
This article describes the challenges in creating a new type of school with minority and special-needs students. The issue of school uniforms is not central to this article; however, it is an important and interesting piece of this article. It demonstrates reasons why school uniforms are chosen by administrators and educators, the challenges educators face when school uniform policies are not thoroughly enforced, and how challenges are resolved. This article is written by two high school teachers from the school described in the article, as well as an expert in Education from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. It is published in a peer-reviewed journal and is a reliable source of information. This article provides interesting information from the perspective of educators in the challenges facing schools adding school uniform policies to their classrooms, and is a good source for this paper.
“School Uniform Statistics.” Statistic Brain, 7 Jul. 2012. Web.
This website provides a table of statistics regarding the use of school uniforms in the United States. It provides some general information such as the average annual cost to parents for school uniforms as well as more specific information, such as a comparison between the views of parents and teachers on questions concerning the advantages of school uniforms. The statistics on this website come from several reliable sources, such as the United States Department of Education, the University of Florida, and so on. Although there is no commentary to go along with the statistics, this website provides interesting information on a variety of subjects surrounding school uniforms that are appropriate for this paper.
Sowell, Russell Edward. “The Relationship of School Uniforms to Student Attendance, Achievement and Discipline.” Diss. Liberty University, Jan. 2012. Dissertations and Theses. Web.
This doctoral dissertation paper provides information from a study of two schools in a rural southwest Georgia regarding what advantages and disadvantages implementing a school uniform had for students. Sowell found that the major benefit for the school with uniforms was that it had much better attendance than the school without. However, the school without uniforms had better scores in math and less minor discipline problems. This paper’s information comes from an in-depth study by the doctoral student and the paper was accepted by the doctoral committee, so it provides a lot of accurate information. This paper is valuable in that it provides specific information about a school district’s use of school uniforms as well as presents variables that need more consideration.
Wilder, Larry and Key, Scott. “Pros and Cons of School Dress Code.” Fresno Pacific University News, 11 Nov. 2007. Web.
This article provides two different opinions on school uniforms. Professor Dr. Larry Wilder discusses why schools are adopting dress codes. He believes that the main reason schools are adopting dress codes are for safety reasons, and that educators believe that dress codes support a better educational environment. Statistics are cited from the United States Department of Education’s Manual of School Uniforms as well as the New York Police Department. Professor Dr. Scott Key believes that uniforms are a way of encouraging conformity rather than adaptation in students and that individuality is stifled. Both writers are experts in their field and professors at the Fresno Pacific University, so this article provides some valuable information on both sides of the school uniform issue that is appropriate for this paper.
