There have been several studies of late that have examined the potential pros and cons of mandated uniforms at the elementary, middle and high school level. While some of the studies surrounding the issue have revealed little correlation between uniform wear and performance, others have suggested that there are many benefits students and educators have to reap from wearing uniforms. Perhaps the single most advantageous benefit of mandated uniforms is an increased level of safety within the nation's school district. These ideas are examined in greater detail below.

The debate surrounding the benefits and advantages of uniforms has continued for several years. The predominate argument has been that school uniforms "reduce the effects of social disparity" (Bodine, 67). That is, distinctions including those of wealth and poverty are eliminated when everyone

Requiring students to wear uniforms has also resulted in a reduction in suspensions at the middle and elementary school level, as well as at the high school level by as much as 9 percent (Cohn, 22).

Whether or not school uniforms will be mandated or not in the future will depend on a number of factors including continuing support from both parents and educators in favor of mandated uniforms. At this time there is a strong enough body of evidence suggesting that wearing uniforms does decrease violence and increase safety in schools, at all levels of education. If for no other reason than this alone, educators and administrators should strongly consider implementing a mandatory policy that requires all students to wear uniforms. Academic performance may not improve, but the increase in safety and well being of students is a big enough benefit worthy of heavy consideration in the future.

According to Pickles (2000) mandatory uniforms at a North Chicago school have contributed to a healthy impact on student behavior as well as academic performance. The researcher states that dress code violations are less than 2 percent, compared with 58 percent prior to the inception of a uniform policy, and the district's average ACT test score rose more than 2 points during the two years the uniform policy had been in place,

The debate regarding uniforms in schools is likely to continue for some time. At this point in time the number of empirical studies available that have examined the exact relationship between uniforms and factors such as academic performance and self esteem are somewhat limited.

The use of uniforms as a measure of safety has been recognized in some smaller studies at both the middle and high school level (Cohn, 22). While opponents argue that making students wear uniforms reduced a student's ability to express their creativity and personality, supporters argue that wearing uniforms has a much bigger benefit than this small disadvantage... namely it protects students from violence that might occur as a result of wearing the wrong type of clothing.

Early studies conducted on school uniforms have shown that uniform dress among students "insures economy, democracy and equality of opportunity" (Mishoe, 2). This study aligns with more modern studies that also suggest that uniforms help enhance equal opportunity and reduce undesirable traits among students (Bodine, 67). When each and every student is required to wear the same clothing day after day, students are less likely to pick on or single out students or individuals based on the type of clothing

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hoge Nickell, Benefits Debate, North Chicago, , Educational Research, cohn 22, school uniforms, wear uniforms, wearing uniforms, academic performance, mandated uniforms, dress code, According Pickles, bodine 67, students wear, studies suggest, students wear uniforms, Foster Hoge, Field Foster, middle school level, foster hoge nickell, studies suggest students, students educators alike,
Approximate Word count = 1745
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)