You get out of bed, stare sleepy-eyed into the closet and ask yourself, "What should I wear to school?" For public-school students in Long Beach, California, the answer is simple. They put on a school uniform.
Decked out in navy pants, shorts or skirts, and crisp white shirts, most of Long Beach's 58,500 elementary- and middle-school students say it's cool to wear uniforms to school. "I don't worry about what I wear in the morning," says Hortencia Llanas, 12. "I just slip on the clothes."
There's something else that Long Beach kids don't have to worry about much anymore: crime at their schools. Since 1994, when Long Beach became the nation's first school district in decades to require uniforms, school is a safer place. Crime has dropped 36%, fighting is down 51%, and student suspensions have decreased 32%.
No Gang Colors, No Fights
Dressed in uniforms, kids cannot wear colors that connect them to street gangs. "If you don't wear a uniform, they think that you might be a gang member," says Kee Kiong, 11. With the new dress code, says Hortencia Llanas, "my parents don't worry about me getting harmed by bad people."
Uniforms also mean less showing off and less jealousy. Before uniforms, kids compared their fancy jewelry, designer clothes or high-priced sneakers. But now, says Karen Quigley, vice principal at Washington Middle School in Long Beach, "there is not as much competition over the way you look."
A Few Complaints
Before it came up with a dress code, Long Beach did its homework. The school district studied schools that require uniforms in several countries, including Japan and France. It found that students who wear uniforms do better in their classes.
Long Beach's success with uniforms has influenced others. So far, California, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, New York and Virginia have passed laws that allow public schools to require uniforms.
But not everyone thinks uniforms are a great idea. Some Long Beach parents have sued the school system. They complain that schools require the uniforms but do not help poor parents pay for them. Some kids dislike dressing the same as everyone else. "I don't like tucking in my shirt," gripes sixth-grader Phuc Nguyen.
Are uniforms a uniformly good idea? How would kids in your school like them?
Crime-Stopping Clothes
Since Long Beach, California, required middle and elementary school students to wear uniforms, the number of crimes committed has fallen.
Crime-Stopping Clothes
Since Long Beach, California, required middle and elementary school students to wear uniforms, the number of crimes committed has fallen.
Assault/battery
1993-'94: 319
'94-'95: 212
Percent change: -34
Fighting
1993-'94: 1,135
'94-'95: 554
Percent change: -51
Robbery
1993-'94: 29
'94-'95: 10
Percent change: -65
Chemical substances
1993-'94: 71
'94-'95: 22
Percent change: -69
Weapons or look-alikes
1993-'94: 165
'94-'95: 78
Percent change: -52
Vandalism
1993-'94: 1,409
'94-'95: 1,155
Percent change: -18
Dangerous devices
1993-'94: 46
'94-'95: 23
Percent change: -50