Do clothes make the student?

Do clothes make the student? When the Long Beach (Calif.) Unified School District A unified school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9-12). In Illinois, these districts are called unit school districts. required its K-8 students to begin wearing uniforms in 1994, it wasn't clear whether the new policy would become just the latest clothing fad or something more lasting. Eleven years later, the district is sticking to its fashion statement and even expanding its uniform requirements to high school. In the time since Long Beach began its policy, it has been joined by thousands of other schools, from Baltimore to Denver to Boston, and a host of districts in between. According to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. researchers, 23 percent of all elementary schools elementary school:see school. had adopted uniforms by the end of 2002, and a growing number of middle and high schools have followed suit. Along the way, presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have endorsed the practice--the former in his State of the Union addresses “State of the Union” redirects here. For other uses, see State of the Union (disambiguation).The State of the Union is an annual address in which the President of the United States reports on the status of the country, normally to a joint session of Congress (the and the latter through tax breaks. The U.S. Department of Education offers an online manual to guide districts in establishing uniform policies. And many an educator says that introducing uniforms has fulfilled the promise of safer, better behaved, and higher achieving schools, even though recent studies question whether the credit should go to a dress code. Backers Cite Decrease in Crime "There's more time students are involved in the instructional process and less concern over what their classmates Classmates can refer to either: Classmates.com, a social networking website. Classmates (film), a 2006 Malayalam blockbuster directed by Lal Jose, starring Prithviraj, Jayasurya, Indragith, Sunil, Jagathy, Kavya Madhavan, Balachandra Menon, ... are wearing," says Jed Deets, superintendent of schools for the Cahokia (Ill.) Unit School District 187, not far from St. Louis, Mo. "I think students will tell you that it makes their day so much easier when they can get up and put on one of their blue, black or khaki khaki(kăk`ē, kä`kē)[Hindi,=dust-colored], closely twilled cloth of linen or cotton, dyed a dust color. It was first used (1848) for uniforms for the English regiment of Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden in India and later became the slacks and one of their district shirts." For the fourth year in a row, all 5,000 of Cahokia's K-12 students are coming to school in those pants and an assortment of colored not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed.See also: Color polo shirts embroidered em��broi��der?v. em��broi��dered, em��broi��der��ing, em��broi��dersv.tr.1. To ornament with needlework: embroider a pillow cover.2. with the district insignia. Those, says Deets, have become the colors of success, and he points to the student body's two-grade-level improvement on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) are a set of standardized tests given annually to school students in the United States. These tests are given to students beginning in kindergarten and progressing until Grade 8 to assess educational development. since the uniform policy went into effect. "Uniforms are a very sensible way to go, particularly in communities like ours, where families are economically challenged everyday," adds Wilfredo Laboy, the superintendent of the Lawrence, Mass., public schools, where the K-8 students have worn blue-and-white since 1998. "It's wonderful to be able to buy two pairs of pants, three shirts, and send your child to school for the rest of the year. There's a practical economic advantage of not having to compete with DKNY DKNY Donna Karan New York , Calvin Klein Noun 1. Calvin Klein - United States fashion designer noted for understated fashions (born in 1942)Calvin Richard Klein, Klein and Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger (born March 24, 1951 in Elmira, New York) is a world-famous American fashion designer and creator of the eponymous "Tommy Hilfiger" and "Tommy" brands. BiographyHilfiger was born March 24, 1951 and raised in Elmira, New York. ." Laboy also says students benefit from an increased sense of belonging to the school community and a greater seriousness of purpose. "There is a certain preparation that takes place as you go to this place called school, and I think uniforms set that tone," he says. When Aycock (N.C.) Middle School joined the uniformed ranks this past fall, Principal William Price William Price may refer to: William Price, birth name of Billy DeFrank (1936–1986), drag entertainer and gay rights activist William Price II (born 1818), Latter-day Saint Bishop and Utah pioneer. saw an almost immediate 50 percent reduction in suspension referrals and arrest reports and an even greater decline in less serious offenses. "For the first few days, we had no one sitting in detention," Price recalls. Price says he's witnessed a change not just in student attitudes. "If you ask the teachers, they'll say their perception of the child has changed," he explains. "If students are wearing baggy bag��gy?adj. bag��gi��er, bag��gi��estBulging or hanging loosely: baggy trousers.bag pants and earrings, some teachers can't get past that." In Long Beach, meanwhile, the third-largest district in California with almost 95,000 students, the uniform policy started with a bang, as crime in K-8 schools dropped by 22 percent and attendance increased to a record 95 percent in its first years. Over the past three years, the Years, Thethe seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109]See : Time district has reported higher student test scores in reading and math. Should Uniforms Get Credit For Improvements? These success stories are developing against a backdrop of research suggesting the impact of a school uniform may be more a matter of perception than reality. "The research says it doesn't hurt, and it doesn't help," notes University of Missouri sociologist David Brunsma, whose studies of large educational databases show that uniforms do not improve academic achievement, or for that matter, student behavior or self-image. The findings, recently published in Brunsma's The School Uniform Movement and What it Tells Us About American Education, used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study longitudinal studya chronological study in epidemiology which attempts to establish a relationship between an antecedent cause and a subsequent effect. See also cohort study. , which has focused on the progress of students who were preschoolers in 1998. The report also used the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study, which followed eighth graders throughout their school careers. Brunsma links gains in student achievement and behavior to other school improvement programs. The lesson, he adds, is to keep the impact of school uniforms in perspective. "If a school wants to implement a uniform policy because it looks good, that's fine," he concludes. "But if the community is expecting that policy to impact the very things they care about, the research shows they may be disappointed." Those committed to school uniforms agree that changing student appearance has not made a difference by itself. "All along, we've said that uniforms were involved in a comprehensive approach that required higher standards, not just in dress, but in discipline and academic achievement," emphasizes Chris Eftychiou, a spokesman for the Long Beach Unified School District The Long Beach Unified School District is a school district headquartered in Long Beach, California.LBUSD serves most of Long Beach, all of the city of Signal Hill, and portions of Lakewood, and Paramount, as well as Avalon and Two Harbors on Catalina Island. . Aycock Principal Price is implementing a four-pronged plan that includes teacher development, character education, increased academic standards and uniforms. "The data is just overwhelmingly showing improvement," he insists, in no small part because of the new uniform policy. "How do you measure the feeling students have when they're dressed this way?" And while he's not running a controlled experiment "Controlled Experiment" is an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 13 January, 1964, during the first season. IntroductionA martian controller is assigned to investigate the phenomenon of murder on Earth. , Price points out that student behavior on "dress down" days once a month differs noticeably. "Students are more defiant," he observes. "They're more aggressive and push in the hallways. They revert to the behaviors of last year." Aycock, meanwhile, offers a textbook lesson in adopting and implementing a uniform policy. Price started with informational town hall meetings in the fall of 2003. "We listened to parents who wanted a safe environment and one better suited to learning," he says. "Then we worked with our staff leadership team to figure out how to get there." A subsequent telephone survey of all parents revealed that 86 percent favored a comprehensive school improvement plan, including the introduction of student uniforms. More town hall meetings followed to preview the program and reminder phone calls and letters went out between March and August, 2004, as well as a list of nine uniform vendors. "On the first day of school, about 20 or 30 kids were not dressed up," Price recalls. "We pulled them off the bus and put them in a room where we had spare uniforms waiting. We dressed them and sent them to class." Price also provided for families that could not afford the required clothing. Many schools with uniform requirements do the same, either through special funds, arrangements with vendors, or a free collection of slightly worn uniforms donated from older students. "We have a fund so that if a family truly can't afford to buy clothes, they will meet with our social workers, and we will buy them two or three outfits," says Cahokia's Jed Deets. These parents are reminded that future clothing purchases for their children should pay attention to the school uniform policy. Dealing With Protests Whatever your level of readiness, Deets warns, be prepared for some trouble at the start. "In the first year of the high school uniform program, we had students walking out in protest, and parents would organize other protests because they thought we were taking away their constitutional rights," he recalls. "We had some students who were very defiant and came every day out of uniform--as opposite to the uniform policy as they could be. For the first two weeks we were very tolerant, but after that, we communicated to parents that their children would be sent home if they didn't come in the proper uniform. We fought those battles the first year, and the last three years have gone relatively smoothly." "Parent support is key," adds Long Beach's Eftychiou. "Where uniforms have been successful, parents are on board and are, in fact, a driving force." Even though the California state education code allows parents to opt out of uniform requirements, only 2 percent in Long Beach have done so and a large number now support the new high school uniforms. While most districts entertain waiver requests--for religious reasons, for instance--Deets denies most of them. "If you allow parents to choose whether to conform to Verb 1. conform to - satisfy a condition or restriction; "Does this paper meet the requirements for the degree?"fit, meetcoordinate - be co-ordinated; "These activities coordinate well" the policy, then you won't have a policy," he says. A case in point is Sierra Vista Junior High School in California. Three years ago the school abandoned the uniform policy for its 1,100 students. "We had well over a hundred parents that opted out," reports Principal Randy Parker. "Once you get past a critical mass of waivers, it becomes a nightmare trying to keep track. It became a point of contention when kids in uniform saw others who weren't wearing uniforms. It became a 'non-uniform'-uniform policy." The school has since switched to a dress code, which requires shoes or sandals and clothes that conceal all undergarments. The code also bans baggy pants, hats and sunglasses sunglasses A tinted pair of glasses used to ↓ light arriving at the eye, which are labeled according to the amount of UV light blocked; nonprescription glasses are classified according to use and amount of UV radiation blockedSunglasses . "Parents can't opt out of that," Parker says. Other schools from California and Utah to Florida and New Hampshire New Hampshire,one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). have dropped their uniform requirements, largely because of parental resistance. But there aren't many discouraging words about uniforms in Cahokia, Ill., or Lawrence, Mass. "Right now, I think my parents would raise a huge protest if we drew back the policy," muses Cahokia's Deets. And even though parents in Lawrence can opt out of school uniforms, Superintendent Laboy points to a different kind of peer pressure among students who once tried to keep up with each other's designer outfits. "Every child wants to belong to a larger group," Laboy says. "If in a classroom of 28, 21 students may be wearing uniforms, the other students begin to look around and say, 'Hey, we're not part of the larger group.' And they say, 'I want my uniform because all the other kids are wearing it.'" Wardrobe Malfunction Wardrobe malfunction is an euphemism used to describe the accidental exposure of an intimate part or parts of the body due to a defect in an article or articles of clothing. "The apparel oft proclaims the man," Polonius counseled his son in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Some school districts are taking that cue in dealing with their teachers, male and female, but they're going beyond just giving advice. This year the Lawrence, (Mass.) Public Schools incorporated dress code language into a new collective bargaining agreement The contractual agreement between an employer and a Labor Union that governs wages, hours, and working conditions for employees and which can be enforced against both the employer and the union for failure to comply with its terms. with teachers. "The kids often complained, 'Why aren't teachers required to have a dress code?' says Lawrence Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy, who adds that some of the faculty were coming to school in dungarees dun��ga��ree?n.1. A sturdy, often blue denim fabric.2. dungarees Trousers or overalls made of sturdy denim fabric.[Hindi du and sweatpants. "You can't tell a child to do as I tell you to do, and not as I do. Children are looking to us as role models." Three years ago, the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District (GCCISD) is a School district whose offices are located in Baytown, Texas (USA) off of Interstate 10.The district has 14 elementaries (K-5), 5 junior highs (6-8), 2 high schools (9-12), a career center, and two , 25 miles east of Houston, crafted its own faculty dress policy. "We ask a lot of our employees, we pay them pretty well, and we have high expectations of them," says Toby York, the assistant superintendent Assistant Superintendent, or Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was a rank used by police forces in the British Empire. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. for personnel and student services. Among the specific provisions of the dress code: * Employees are not to wear clothing that is tight, revealing, short, torn ... or excessively faded. Sweat suits, jogging suits, overalls or denim pants/jeans of any color may not be worn. * Tattoos must be covered. * In keeping with professional decorum DECORUM. Proper behaviour; good order. 2. Decorum is requisite in public places, in order to permit all persons to enjoy their rights; for example, decorum is indispensable in church, to enable those assembled, to worship. , earrings may be worn only by female employees, and ears are the only area of the body on which pierced jewelry jewelry,personal adornments worn for ornament or utility, to show rank or wealth, or to follow superstitious custom or fashion.The most universal forms of jewelry are the necklace, bracelet, ring, pin, and earring. may be worn. York says any district considering a faculty dress code should set reasonable standards for faculty dress and involve teachers in the decision-making. "There needs to be a spirit of cooperation when you design and put this together," he says. "We had teacher representatives from every grade level and school." In Lawrence, Laboy says his teachers took the lead in developing a dress code, which made administrators' jobs easier. "It gives leverage to the building principal to have a conversation with a teacher about what is and isn't appropriate," Laboy says. "Before, there wouldn't have been a conversation." "Does it mean that the quality of instruction is better in the classroom?" concludes Goose Creek's York. "I can't say that. But it does set a positive role model for students, and it creates a show of professionalism." Ron Schachter is a contributing editor A contributing editor is a magazine job title that varies in responsibilities. Most often, a contributing editor is a freelancer who has proven ability and readership draw. .