This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

What to Wear?

Spanish Translation

By Kathryn R. Hoffman

Veronica and Carina Santana didn't worry about wearing the latest styles for the first day of school. They didn't sweat about having the coolest sneakers. Instead, the sisters, ages 9 and 8, showed up at the Cramp School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in navy blue skirts and white shirts. All their friends—and even the principal—were dressed alike!

Uniforms are new to Philadelphia. This fall the city required students in all 265 of its schools to wear them. Each school chose its own colors.

Why Uniforms?
Philadelphia is not alone. Students in New York City; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and other big cities also have uniform policies.

Teachers and principals say uniforms cut down on teasing and competition over clothes. In California, schools that require uniforms have seen improvements in attendance and student behavior. Uniforms also make it easy for teachers to tell who shouldn't be on school property.

Some parents and teachers don't like uniforms. They say that kids should be able to express themselves, and one way to do that is through clothes.

Most kids at the Cramp School don't mind the uniform. Some even like it. "I don't waste time looking for something to wear," Veronica explains.

Fourth-grader Ariel Almonte is even more enthusiastic. "When people see me coming," he said about his red, white and blue school uniform, "They see the flag shining bright."

Next: Call to Action