Dress Code/Uniforms

Read more about school dress codes and uniform policies. Do they improve student achievement or school climate? Are they sexist or racist?

Explainer

In this Sept. 7, 2018 photo, students socialize at Grant High School in Portland, Ore., after school let out. Portland Public Schools relaxed its dress code in 2016 after student complaints that the rules unfairly targeted female students and sexualized their fashion choices.
School Dress Code Debates, Explained
What are they, who do they serve, and do they need to be changed?
View Explainer
A photo of money seen through a rip in denim
Maria Utekhina/iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Opinion Why This Teacher Will No Longer Pay for the ‘Privilege’ to Wear Jeans
Getting to wear jeans occasionally at my school hardly seems worth the outlay, explains a teacher.
Kelly Scott, March 22, 2022
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3 min read
Conceptual Illustration of clothing and dollar signs flying through the air.
E+/Getty
Teaching Profession Wait, Some Teachers Have to Pay to Wear Jeans?
Teachers dish on dress codes and reveal that in some schools, comfort comes at a cost.
Hayley Hardison, March 4, 2022
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4 min read
From left, Mia-Arie Wilson, 13, Lindsey Coates, 13, Ava Bell, 13, and Makayla Waiters, 13, at Western Branch Middle School in Chesapeake, Va., on Sept. 21, 2021. The students are members of the Student Council Association and have been instrumental in making changes at the school.
From left, Mia Arie Wilson, 13, Lindsey Coates, 13, Ava Bell, 13, and Makayla Waiters, 13, at Western Branch Middle School in Chesapeake, Va., were part of a student social justice task force that prompted big changes at their school.
Julia Rendleman for Education Week
School & District Management Students Sought Changes at Their Middle School. Their Principal Listened
Principal Kambar Khoshaba initiated a student social justice task force at the middle school he leads. Students say it's had a big impact.
Denisa R. Superville, September 29, 2021
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10 min read
Image shows a courtroom and gavel.
imaginima/E+
Law & Courts In Skirt Case, Appeals Court Says Title IX Bars Dress Codes That Discriminate Based on Sex
The court rules on a North Carolina charter school that requires girls to wear skirts, which the school's founder says promotes "chivalry."
Mark Walsh, August 9, 2021
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4 min read
Illustration of clothes on hangers
Getty
Teaching Profession Is It Time to Relax Teacher Dress Codes?
After teaching at home in comfortable clothes, some school and district leaders support casual attire for teachers returning to classrooms.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 21, 2021
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4 min read
Education Appeals Court Revives Race- and Sex-Bias Suit Over Student's Dyed Hair
The court revived a key part of a lawsuit filed by a Louisiana high school student who alleges that he faced harassment from a school administrator over the student's dyed hair.
Mark Walsh, September 11, 2020
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2 min read
Equity & Diversity Black Teen Suspended for His Dreadlocks Can Return to School, Judge Rules
Kaden Bradford was facing punishment because his locs are long enough to touch his shirt collar, a violation of his high school's dress code. His attorneys called the policy discriminatory.
Christina A. Samuels, August 19, 2020
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2 min read
A photo that was posted on Twitter last week shows students in a crowded hallway at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga.
A photo that was posted on Twitter last week shows students in a crowded hallway at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga.
Twitter via AP
School Climate & Safety Opinion You Made Me Enforce Useless Dress Codes for Years. Don't Claim Face Masks Go Too Far
Dress codes have disproportionately harmed Black students. A face-mask mandate could save their lives, writes James Bridgeforth.
James Bridgeforth, August 10, 2020
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4 min read
De’Andre Arnold, middle, and his mother Sandy, second from right, attended the Academy Awards with the team behind the animated short “Hair Love.”
De’Andre Arnold, middle, and his mother Sandy, second from right, attended the Academy Awards with the team behind the animated short “Hair Love.”
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
School Climate & Safety Why Do Schools Hang On to Discriminatory Dress Codes?
School dress codes are clashing with students, parents, and researchers who see the rules and their enforcement as rife with racism and sexism. Some school leaders say the codes are important for safety and teaching kids to comply.
Christina A. Samuels, March 10, 2020
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10 min read
Education Judge Strikes Down Charter School's Dress Code Requiring Skirts for Girls
A federal district judge holds that the requirement that girls wear skirts and may not wear shorts or pants violates the U.S. Constitution's equal-protection clause.
Mark Walsh, March 29, 2019
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3 min read
Federal Can A Private School Receiving Voucher Money Ban a Student Over Dreadlocks?
The ACLU and NAACP have filed formal civil rights complaints against the school for its dress code policies, another case that highlights the blurring lines in public oversight for private schools that accept state aid in the form of vouchers.
Arianna Prothero, November 30, 2018
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5 min read
Teaching Opinion Response: 'If They're Learning, I Don't Care What They're Wearing'
Here are responses to the question of how to handle school dress codes.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 12, 2018
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14 min read
Education Opinion How Should Schools Handle Student Dress Codes?
The new question-of-the-week is: How should schools handle student dress codes?
Larry Ferlazzo, November 7, 2018
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1 min read
Alameda High School students Henry Mills, left, and Kristen Wong sit together on the school's campus in Alameda, Calif. on Aug. 23, 2018. The city's school system relaxed dress codes to allow midriff-baring shirts and short shorts, among other once-banned items.
Alameda High School students Henry Mills, left, and Kristen Wong sit together on the school's campus in Alameda, Calif. The city's school system relaxed dress codes to allow midriff-baring shirts and short shorts, among other once-banned items.
Jeff Chiu/AP
School & District Management Do School Dress Codes Discriminate Against Girls?
A spate of viral videos is sparking questions about whether school dress code policies unfairly single out girls.
Sasha Jones, August 31, 2018
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6 min read
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