Dressing for success, not to impress

By Emily Richmond

Thursday, April 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Some educators credit school uniforms with creating a safer learning environment, reducing competition and boosting student achievement. Critics argue there are no definitive studies linking school uniforms to improved academics.

The Clark County School District has avoided taking an official position by leaving to educators and parents the potentially controversial decision of whether to adopt school uniforms.

After experimenting with a voluntary dress code, administrators at one Clark County campus, Jydstrup Elementary, have concluded school uniforms work.

Jydstrup Principal Martha Slack said the dress code helped unify the school’s diverse student body, which speaks more than 40 languages. It’s also a more economical option for families struggling financially. Whether a student can afford to wear the latest fashions and brands is irrelevant at schools with uniform policies, Slack said.

“Our students know they are all here for the same purpose,” Slack said. “And that’s to be the very best they can be.”

Jydstrup administrators are asking students’ parents to support making the dress code mandatory. The school is one of 11 district campuses considering stricter dress standards for the 2009-10 academic year.

At campuses where parents agree to require uniforms, students must wear collared shirts in white or school colors with solid-color bottoms. All schools must also allow navy or white shirts with khaki pants or skirts.

Each spring schools interested in adopting the stricter dress code ask the district’s central office to coordinate a vote. The office mails ballots to parents. If at least 55 percent of the returned ballots favor adopting standard student attire, it becomes school policy.

The percentage of parents who return ballots makes Southern Nevada’s meager municipal election turnouts appear robust by comparison.

Last year 33 schools put the dress code to a vote. Twenty-nine campuses gained approval for uniforms with the percentage of families who voted ranging from 6.8 percent, at C.C. Ronnow-Edison Elementary, to a high of 24 percent, at Glen Taylor Elementary. At C.C. Ronnow-Edison, 94 percent of the vote favored the stricter dress code, but only 68 ballots were returned out of a total enrollment of more than 1,000 students.

The low threshold for victory doesn’t sit well with some educators — including some school uniform advocates who have won such votes.

Doug Wilson was principal of Hollingsworth Elementary School in 2006 when the campus put the dress code question to a vote. “We had 83 parents say yes, and that was all we needed. The decision for almost 1,000 kids was based on those returns,” he said.

Now principal at Carolyn Reedom Elementary School, Wilson is again campaigning on behalf of standard student attire. This time around, he is pushing hard for a stronger showing at the ballot box.

While he has no doubt the stricter dress code will benefit his students, the policy is better received if there is a greater display of parental support.

“What happens is parents think if they don’t do anything, they’re voting ‘No,’ ” Wilson said. “That’s why I’ve stressed to my parents again and again that if they don’t turn in their ballots this week, it won’t count.”

The practice of leaving the decision to individual schools and giving families a chance to weigh in is the right approach, according to Ken Trump, a nationally recognized school consultant.

“Having parental and student input on the front end of the process tends to remove much of the opposition to the stricter dress code,” said Trump, who has consulted with dozens of districts across the country on school safety. “Consistent, long-term enforcement is the key to it being successful.”