Milwaukee students will wear uniforms in effort to improve school climate
When Pulaski High School mandated student uniforms this year, plenty of kids grumbled, according to Principal Lolita Patrick. But one boy actually thanked her.
The 10th grader had had lots of problems, academic and behavioral, his freshman year. So much so, he'd told staff last year that he might as well drop out and sell drugs "because he was tired of being judged by what he had to wear."
The bullying stopped, Patrick said, when he returned in the fall to a school where he dressed like everyone else, in the same khaki pants and navy blue or red polo shirt.
"And guess what — he didn't drop out. Not only is he in school, but he has managed to reduce the number of disciplinary referrals that he has received from last school year by 50%," Patrick told Milwaukee Public Schools board members considering a districtwide uniform policy at a committee meeting earlier this month.
"If we can lessen one barrier that keeps students from learning and achieving, why wouldn’t we want every student to have that opportunity?"
On Thursday night, the Milwaukee School Board voted 8-1 to approve a districtwide school uniform policy beginning in the 2017-'18 school year, with provisions for schools and individual families to opt out. School Board member Tatiana Joseph cast the lone no vote.
Superintendent Darienne Driver had sought the changes as part of a broader package of reform, saying uniforms foster a positive learning environment and that MPS parents are increasingly requesting them.
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The administrative procedure outlines that the basic district uniform will be either khaki-style pants, a skirt or jumper in tan, navy blue or black. The uniforms also will include a navy blue or black long-sleeve or short-sleeve shirt with a collar, such as a polo shirt, dress shirt or turtleneck.
At the meeting, Driver said the district is able to provide funding starting at $20 per student to be able to help provide their first set of uniforms.
Driver also emphasized that students can't be punished because of choosing not to wear a uniform and that violating the uniform policy would not impact a student's grades or participation in extracurricular activities.
Opt-out policy
The new MPS policy allows schools to opt out with the consent of 66% of their parents and school governance councils and if a written exemption letter is filed with the school's regional superintendent. Parents and guardians can exempt individual students by filing a written request with the school.
About a third of MPS' 159 schools already have uniform policies, according to the district.
MPS is not the first large, urban district to adopt them districtwide. Similar policies are in place in Cleveland, Philadelphia and elsewhere. About 20% of the nation's public schools were required to wear uniforms in the 2013-'14 school year, according to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, up from nearly 14% a decade earlier.
A dozen people testified in front of the board Thursday night.
Kristin Hinds, principal at Carver Academy, told the board that uniforms take away from peer pressure and form community at her school, where it is their fourth year with uniforms.
“It gives the scholars an identity. When they put on our Carver polos and navy pants, they believe they belong and it taps into our school pride and community spirit,” she told the board.
Critics said the uniforms would stifle the creativity of students in the district, like sixth grader Ava Antonie, 11, who attends A.E. Burdick School. Ava is a drummer in local band Negative/Positive and told the board she likes that she can express herself by wearing her band T-shirt to school.
“I know that not everyone is in a band and not everyone is interested in art and music like me, but that’s the point. Everyone is different. They all have different styles. Everyone is unique and should be allowed to show that,” Ava said.
Studies over the years have suggested that schools that adopt uniforms have seen positive impacts, including increases in attendance and teacher retention and a drop in disciplinary actions. However, it can be difficult to trace the cause directly the uniforms because they are often adopted as part of a slate of reforms, said Scott Imberman, an associate professor of economics and education policy at Michigan State University, who has studied the issue.
"In my own study, we did find the effects of uniforms relatively positive, though not overwhelmingly so," Imberman said. "We didn't see any obvious negative effects, and there were some positive effects," he said.
