When you got up and got ready for school this morning, did you have a choice of what you’d wear?
In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, public school students used to have to put on the same thing: plain collared shirts with pants, shorts, or skirts in khaki, black, or navy blue. But last summer, school officials voted to drop uniform requirements for grades K-8. For the first time in more than a decade, Harrisburg students have more freedom to show off their personal style—as long as they meet a fairly standard dress code.
Around the country, what students can—and can’t—wear to school is often decided by district administrators. Uniforms are common at private and
People in favor of such policies argue that uniforms help students focus on learning—not on their outfits. But critics say uniforms limit young people’s self-expression.