Boston Public Schools Consider Voluntary School Uniform Policy

This was a news article presented on WGBH. Please follow this link to access the video.

Prominent arguments

• Successful adults wear uniforms at work and so do schoolchildren in most other countries


• Children are too preoccupied with clothing and peer pressure to focus on their education


• Uniforms policies offer one less distraction for the teachers


• Uniforms make good financial sense for both families and the community

Characters quoted and what was left out

This news segment portrayed multiple arguments that put a positive spin on the issue of school uniforms in the public schools. It was narrated by Marcus Jones, WGBH reporter, and the opinions expressed by the narrator are assumed to be the general WGBH viewpoints, seemingly shared by Marcus Jones. The most prevalent strategies used by the media was the careful positive language used by the supporters of school uniforms and the careful editing of comments made by those who may not have been entirely supportive.

The segment begins with Jack Robinson, the former head of the Boston chapter of the NAACP and current president of the National Association of Black Americans. The media is sure to highlight his credentials, though a careful observer must note that being a leader amongst African Americans does not necessarily make him an expert on educational policy and dress codes. He is careful to use words with positive connotations. The narration introduces his proposition as a "voluntary" uniform policy. However, it does not clarify the exact meaning of the "voluntary policy". Since this segment was filmed, the term has been clarified (as it was actually implemented in the Boston Public Schools) to mean that participation is voluntary at the school level, but not the individual level. If a school elects to enforce a uniform policy, then the students at that school are required to wear the uniform or face consequences. It is a mandatory policy at the individual level. Knowing that the idea of taking away choices from the individual can be perceived negatively, the narrator chose to use the word "voluntary".

Jack Robinson goes on to state that "As an adult, we all wear uniforms. Those of us in the business community wear business uniforms..." He goes on to cite other professions: doctors, lawyers, dentists, cab drivers, police officers, astronauts, engineers, professional football players. I found it interesting that he chose to focus on extremely desirable, high income producing professions (save perhaps the cab driver). Doctors, Lawyers, and Astronauts would not have been the first professions that came to mind when I thought of uniform-wearing workers. Why did he choose not to mention plumbers, fast food workers, toll collectors, members of the armed forces, and garbage men? Again, it is clear that his comments were designed to gently sway the audience's opinions towards his person ideologies.

The segment next cited The Boston Herald as a source. The Herald article was entitled "He's the littlest pusher" and focused on a 9 year old drug runner. Jack Robinson pointed out a quote of a 9 year old boy admiring a peer's wardrobe ("He's always got nice clothes to make him look good when he hangs out with the bigger guys") and used it to draw the conclusion that "Children are too preoccupied with clothes and other stylish possessions to concentrate on their education". Again, he seems to be appealing to the readers emotions as opposed to their logical side. The article did not mention the effects of clothes on school performance and the connection is weak at best.

They next interview John Grady, a school committee member, who the narrator says is encouraging the idea. He is quoted saying "if we can get by all that stuff that deters from the kids getting into school and learning, then I'm for anything that can be tried." This seems to be a classic example of a quote out of context. Mr. Grady could have been replying to a question on any educational intervention and the media may be generalizing the meaning to include school uniforms. Also, the quick editing does make me wonder if he had a "but" to add to the end of that sentence.

They do include comments made by a Caucasian child and an adult, presumably a Boston Public School child and her mother, though that is not confirmed. When asked about a uniform policy, the child stated ""I don't like them. I wouldn't want to wear the same colors all year long." The mother said "They're entitled to their own identity and it's kinda nice to see them all in different colors. These comments seem to be shallow, emotional and unfounded, and again the editing is questionable. Did they just choose the clips that made the interviewees sound immature and unknowledgeable? They did not seem to make an effort to find children and parents who would have more information about or experience with the subject of school uniforms.

The segment finishes with a commentary from Marcus Jones who notes that, "from a purely economic standpoint uniforms seems to offer something for everyone: Parents save money on clothing bills, students have one less peer pressure to worry about, teachers have one less distraction to contend with and the whole community can profit by having uniforms manufactured in the neighborhood." Here, this seems to be his opinion, as these assertions have no source and (as we see in other articles) can be controvesial!

Who was left out?

Boston Public School teachers

Boston Public School principals and administrators

People experienced with school uniform policies, such as:

• children who currently wear uniforms to school (such as private, parochial, pilot, or charter school children)


• parents of children who currently wear uniforms to school


• public school administrators that had implimented a uniform policy


• educators who had done research on the effects of uniforms in schools

The American Civil Liberties Union, a vocal opponent of public school uniform policies