Black Educators' Views on Middle School Students' Dress and Uniforms: Addressing Challenges from Commercialism*

Journal of Negro Education, The, Fall 2003 by Alleyne, Sylvan I, LaPoint, Velma, Lee, Jennifer, Mitchell, Harold W

When asked if they thought students liked the uniform policy, educators indicated that a majority of the student body disliked the uniform policy and many found ways to use their regular clothes instead. However, some children liked uniforms because "they don't have the designer clothes" to compete with peers. Educators were asked if they liked the uniform policy and they all responded positively. Overall, they said that the policy had reduced teasing, absenteeism, and school violence and students were more focused on the teaching and learning process. Moreover, they said that they believed that school uniforms increased students' confidence, pride, and self-esteem and improved behavior in class.

Question Three. The third question facilitators asked was how the uniform policy could be enhanced. Educators maintained that consistency in the uniform policy was the primary way to facilitate a positive attitude about uniforms. One educator said, "If one student has to wear uniforms, all students have to wear uniforms. There are no exceptions. If you choose not to wear uniforms, you need to enroll in another school." Educators emphasized that "conforming to the uniform policy must be reinforced everyday, all day." Others asserted that the message of enforcement starts with teachers, "all teachers should be told of the importance of enforcing the uniform policy." Several educators said that talking to parents and family members is essential, and, if necessary, they could be offered help to acquire uniforms.

There were different opinions expressed on the use of individual and classroom incentives (e.g., pizza parties, dances, or in-school movies) to get students to comply with uniform policies. Educators offered other ways to improve the school's uniform policy such as standardizing the student's shoes to prevent students being teased about their shoes. School administrators even went as far as to give some students athletic shoes, but students refused them because they were not name brand. Another educator added that ties should be apart of the uniform. Finally, another educator wanted to change the design and color of the uniforms, suggesting that instead of White shirts, T-shirts would be more developmentally appropriate.

There were additional comments on strategies to improve the uniform policy. Classroom topics on social skills should be added to reinforce the school uniform policy. When asked about how to implement suggested changes to the uniform policy, such as starting with the sixth-graders, educators unanimously agreed that the change should apply to all students simultaneously. Another suggestion was to give student rewards, for example, a "dress down day." This would allow students to wear their desired clothing on a certain day. Educators also stated student-peer and student-educator discussions would help. Overall, most of the educators were positive about the uniform policy.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Findings from both the surveys and focus group indicate that educators believe students are impacted by commercial influences related to dress, influencing students' attitudes and choice about dress. There are possible explanations for inter-grade differences. Perhaps, the younger students are at the developmental stage where they are more likely to accept parental, and educators' views-and these views may serve as a buffer to commercial influences. Also, older students may be more susceptible to commercial influences especially since they are at the onset of adolescence where dress becomes highly influenced by peers who are in turn influenced by commercial influences. This is supported by other conceptualizations and research on commercial influences on adolescents (LaPoint & Alleyne, 2001).