The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells

This book represents the most thorough exposition on our present understanding of the impetuses, debates, legalities, and effectiveness of school uniform policies that have rapidly entered the discourse of school reform in the United States. In it, David Brunsma provides an antidote to the ungrounded, anecdotal components that define the contemporary conversation regarding policies of standardized dress in American K-12 districts and schools.

David L. Brunsma is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

List of Tables

ix

Acknowledgments

xv

Introduction

xvii

1 Dress Codes and School Uniforms: Past, Present, and Future

1

(26)

A Brief History of School Uniforms and Dress Codes

3

(1)

England: Class, Schooling, and School Uniforms

3

(4)

The Rise of Public Schooling and Student Dress

7

(4)

Baby Boomers, the Student Movement, Free Speech, and Dress

11

(2)

The Tide Is Turned: From D.C.to Long Beach

13

(7)

The Making of a National "Reform" Effort

20

(3)

The Contours of Anti-Uniform and Pro-Uniform Discourse

23

(4)

2 A Review of the Literature: From Anecdotes to Research and Back Again

27

(24)

Introduction

28

(2)

Anecdotes Are Not Antidotes:The Pros and Cons of School Uniforms

30

(2)

The Research: Pieces of the Puzzle

32

(17)

Where Do We Go from Here?

49

(2)

3 The Law and Student Clothing (Todd A. DeMitchell)

51

(24)

Freedom of Speech

52

(5)

Litigation over Dress Codes

57

(5)

Uniforms and the Constitution

62

(10)

Uniforms and Dress Codes

72

(3)

4 To Uniform or Not to Uniform? Empirical Antecedents to Policy Formation and Adoption

75

(32)

Introduction

75

(1)

Descriptive Data: Uniform Policies in the United States

76

(5)

Why Uniforms? Why Not?: Anecdotal Reasons Given for the Implementation of Uniform Policies

81

(5)

Empirical Correlates to Policy Adoption in Public Schools

86

(4)

From Idea to Practice: Protocol, Promises, Pitfalls, and Perils

90

(12)

From Practice to the Compost Heap

102

(3)

Discussion: To Uniform or Not to Uniform? Is That the Question?

105

(2)

5 The Effects of School Uniforms and Dress Codes on Educational Processes and Outcomes

107

(48)

Introduction

107

(1)

Uniforms and School Climate Variables

108

(11)

Uniforms and Academic Achievement

119

(18)

Uniforms and Attendance

137

(2)

The BIG Question: Uniforms versus Dress Codes

139

(3)

Is It Too Early to Tell? Prospects of the Longevity of Uniform Policies

142

(12)

Summary

154

(1)

6 The Effects of School Uniforms and Dress Codes on Behavioral and Social Processes and Outcomes

155

(22)

Introduction

155

(1)

Uniforms and Self-Esteem/Self-Concept

156

(5)

Uniforms and Measures of Loci of Control

161

(11)

Uniforms, Behavioral Problems, Substance Use, and Attendance

172

(4)

Summary

176

(1)

7 A Symbolic Crusade:The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells Us about American Education

177

(20)

Introduction

177

(2)

What Have We Learned?

179

(5)

Panacea or Serious Reform Effort? On the Incompetence of the School Uniform Movement

184

(8)

Behind the Symbol, Behind the Crusade: Intentions and Fears

192

(2)

Conclusion: What Works?

194

(3)

Appendixes

Appendix A: Means, Standard Deviations, Ranges, and Coding of Variables

197

(10)

Appendix B: President Clinton's State of the Union Address (Delivered Version)

207

(16)

Endnotes

223

(14)

References

237

(18)

Index

255

(8)

About the Author

263

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The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells Us about American Education A Symbolic Crusade

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials