Assignment

2

Tigist Shiferaw Comment by Patricia Hennington: Hi Tigist, I am Patricia, your grader for this touchstone today.

English composition ll

January 30,2021

Uniform Policy over School Dress codes

Implementation of school dress codes and uniform policies is usually due to practical and social reasons. A dress code is an outline that concentrates more on what a student cannot wear to school making the options not limited to one or two. Most people prefer school dress codes because it gives the student a flexible guideline on what should be won to school hence, they have a variety, brings out the aspect of conformity and makes the school a smart community with smartly and decently dressed students and teachers. Moreover, there are other people who prefer uniforms as not only does it contribute to smartness and uniformity but also, they are easier for the administration to enforce into the system and enhance proper behavior and performance. Both aspects of uniforms and dress codes focus on almost the same goals and objectives but which one would fit in the school’s setting more? The advantages will be discussed below. Comment by Patricia Hennington: Nice opening paragraph! Have you briefly introduced the author and publication context (year, journal, etc.) of Article 1 and Article 2?

Through enhancing uniformity, uniform play a vital role in equalizing the social status. People come from different backgrounds and different standards of living. With just normal dress codes, the policy may not completely eliminate some of the small things that completely hide the major differences. However, with uniforms, everyone becomes equal such that if it is in terms of design, everyone is having the same design and type among other factors. Everyone becomes the same despite being the child to a minister or the child to a mere grocery seller. According to Edwards & Marshall, (2020), the policy of dress codes and uniformity were first established with the aim of eliminating the differences in appearance among students. Therefore, the uniform policy meets this objective more than normal dress codes. However, some differences can be noted when students have further enhancements for example when a student adds some jewelry on top of the uniform demanded by the school policy and that is where the dress code comes in as such things will be eliminated making both policies important and applicable at once. Comment by Patricia Hennington: Unnecessary. Comment by Patricia Hennington: Have you included a summary of the stance presented Article1 and Article 2?

Another aspect is on academic performance. According to Brobeck, (2018), proponents in academic literature believe that uniforms contribute to a community which play a role in eliminating negative behaviors hence students have space and time to focus on their academic work. On a practical view, just following up on a particular dress code gives the student a variety of options unlike with uniforms where the student gets by with a minimum amount of clothing. That is, they have their school uniform, then clothes they can hang around home with and their Sunday best. This way, they can even feel the difference while in the different environments and while in uniform, they are aware they are in school and what is required of the environment they are in. Furthermore, with uniformity, students will not be in a competitive mode of buying trendy clothes or thinking about how to kill the show the next day with a certain outfit but instead they will be engaged in their studies. Comment by Patricia Hennington: Where is the claim that address both sides of the issue, including specific points raised in the articles?

Also, school uniformity policies bring about safety to the schools through various ways. According to Mahlangu, (2017), both school uniformity and dress codes should contribute to reduction of school violence, preventions of bad behaviors and promotion of discipline and improving school safety. With uniforms, it is easy to identify any intruders in the school compounds hence the students are safe. Moreover, it gives the school identity and some form of pride such that when a student misbehaves outside the premises of the school it is easier to instill discipline through the school.

However, uniforms at some point violate the rights of students. According to Mahlangu, (2017), student’s rights include issues related to their freedoms in terms of culture, politics and economy. With normal dressing codes, students are able to purchase whatever they can afford unlike for uniforms they have to strain if the uniforms are expensive and beyond their economic capacities. Moreover, with uniforms, certain things are excluded or included that intrudes in an individual’s culture. For example, saying that everyone should shave or no one should cover their hair to enhance uniformity is against some cultures. Comment by Patricia Hennington: Did you present a clear workable solution that could be viewed as a "middle ground" between the two sides?

Reference

Brobeck, E. (2018). School uniform requirements: Effects on student academic performance.

Edwards, T. K., & Marshall, C. (2020). Undressing policy: a critical analysis of North Carolina (USA) public school dress codes. Gender and Education, 32(6), 732-750.

Mahlangu, V. P. (2017). Implementation of School Uniform Policy and the Violation of Students' Human Rights in Schools. Bulgarian Comparative Education Society.

Article 1: "School Dress Codes and Uniform Policies" Article 2: "Dressing Diversity: Politics of Difference and the Case of School Uniforms"

Reflection Questions

Is the Rogerian model of argument a good way to help understand the topic more? How good is it?

The Rogerian model of argument is the best way to bring out the topic as it improves an individual’s views concerning both perspectives of the topic. That way, it brings a better understanding of why some people prefer school uniform policies over school dress codes. With that, it is easy to come up with solutions that will satisfy each side of the argument.

Do you think using the Rogerian approach in an individual argumentative essay is wise?

I think using the Rogerian model of argument is the best way to go to avoid been biased on one side. However, some solutions work well when both sides are combined while others are stronger on their own. Therefore, as much as the Rogerian way of arguing is outstanding, one may be required to choose the stronger side in their essay to emerge more argumentative.

EC 2 - Touchstone 3.1 Rubric and Feedback
Rubric Category	Feedback - Argument	Score (acceptable, needs improvement etc.)
Summary of Positions	Does not introduce both authors and/or does not provide a summary of each position presented in the articles.	0/10
Thesis/Claim	No clear thesis has been presented.	0/20
Organization	Includes all the required components of a Rogerian argument paper, including an introduction with source summaries and a claim, body paragraphs with topic sentences, and a conclusion with a concluding statement	4/5
Style	Demonstrates effective word choices, primarily avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a variety of sentence structures.	4/5
Conventions	There are only a few, if any, negligible errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage.	4/5
Reflection	Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes multiple insights, observations, and/or examples, following response length guidelines.	4/5
Overall Score and Feedback: 16 /50 Tigist, The essay does not address the following articles for this assignment: Article 1: "School Dress Codes and Uniform Policies" Article 2: "Dressing Diversity: Politics of Difference and the Case of School Uniforms" Patricia