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

by Brunsma, David L.

• ISBN13: 9781578861255
• ISBN10: 157886125X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-06-25
• Publisher: R&L Education

Summary

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.

Author Biography

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

Table of Contents

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