Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?

The topic I chose was whether or not uniforms are ideal in school. The article I chose went into great detail as to whether or not uniforms help improve a students education experience. Uniforms take away a students' freedom of speech and their decision to dress however they want. The pros and cons in this article were listed as: Pros; Help prevent gangs from forming on campus, encourage discipline, help students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothes, help identify intruders in the school, diminish economic and social barriers between students, increase a sense of belonging and school pride, and improve attendance. The cons were listed as, Violate a student's right to freedom of expression, are simply a band-aid on the issue of school violence, make students a target for bullying from other schools, are a financial burden for poor families, are an unfair additional expense for parents who pay taxes for a free public education, and are difficult to enforce in public schools. In my opinion I think that uniforms should not be a requirement in public schools. Yes I agree with many of the pros and cons but I went to public schools my whole life and only one of the years I was required to wear a uniform. This was a testing year at my middle school, and my last year before we moved. The uniforms were a burden to my family and me because the uniforms were pricy and more expensive than my normal clothes. Also if I had continued with this school for the next year, I would need to buy all new clothes since I grew out of them the previous year. I think there should never be a uniform requirement in high school; high school is can be the last few years of peoples' education. If a kid decides to further their education, they will not be at a college where they need a uniform. Why should we train our kids to dress a certain way all the way up until they are eighteen and then send them off to college in one of the most diverse atmospheres! I think that uniforms are not a good idea, because we are taking away our students chance to be independent, think about it, what freedom does a 12 year old really have? One is they can dress how they want, and express themselves how they want, if we take that freedom away from them, not only is it a burden to the child's family, it is also not giving them a chance to grow into their own identity.  

http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/121-school-uniforms.gs