I read somewhere recently that the top freshmen student at Princeton University for 2009 apparently has a huge mohawk. (Yes, Princeton is notoriously Liberal). I can see how it could be a problem with younger, developing students though.

Actually, you can't compare that data. There are too many factors and not enough constants to draw a valid conclusion. First, private schools are free to let in and kick out any students they wish. Public schools are required to enroll any child living in its district. Second, private schools generally cost money and have a lot of hoops to jump through to get accepted. Generally, the parents that put in that much effort take stock in their child's education and future. In public schools, many parents just want their child in school so they can have a free babysitting service.

While I do agree that maintaining a dress code can reduce distraction, it is not a fix all to raise test scores and graduation rates. It just eliminates one of many problems that makes it difficult for students to focus.

I'm not comparing data, nor am I saying that dress codes increased the graduation levels. I simply stated that all the things that private schools have been doing, the public schools are adopting the same best practices and increasing their testing scores and graduation rates. The end result isn't limited by the means of just codes of conduct and dress code, but also smaller class sizes, better curriculum, etc.

What's wrong with going to community college? I took about half of my classes there and ended up drastically reducing the amount that I had to take in student loans. :)

absolutely nothing, I went for part of my college years as well, some people who have the same prejudices towards appearances etc. don't think that higher learning happens in community colleges to the same level. Interestingly enough the community colleges where I grew up had moonlighting professors from Pepperdine University and Cal State Northridge.

I had the same thing. It was pretty funny seeing a professor from a university that charged an arm and a leg teaching the same class with the same materials for next to nothing. :)

It's late, I can't contribute much discussion wise but I have a comment.

The summer before my first year of Junior High (1984), my mom gave me a pseudo mohawk (just barely shaved on the sides) dyed red. I lived at that time in a small town of about 600. The first day of school, I was sent home because of my hair (what they thought could be done, I haven't a clue!).

It was decided by the school board, I had to comb my hair down over my head in order to attend school (yeah that was really attractive!) until it grew out. Once it did, they really couldn't say anything about the punky things I did with it.

I don't know if it's suprising to me or not that things haven't changed in 25 yrs.

hmmm...interesting thread.

I went to a really small school (high school graduating class: 89.) One of my best friends put a streak of green in her brown hair in junior high (seventh grade, or maybe eighth.) There was a major uproar... but none of it was from the students. There were a few guys that made fun of her the first day, but besides that, we all just went on with life. The "distraction" came from some of the teachers, and the principal who threatened to suspend her. Had they not made such a big deal about it, I don't think we would've even paid much attention.

Well, see this I can understand this coming from a teacher's perspective, but still I think these situations could be dealt with as behavior problems on an individual basis because I know it is not only children with unusual hairstyles that are obsessing over their looks all day. The same could be said for girls who are excessively girly and/or fashion conscious - and I see a lot of those. In fact, I have to hold my own daughter back from it.

I'm not sure about gang activity around here (yet) I've never heard of anything, but I agree that should be treated differently if it were to develop here.

The more I think about it, the more I support the idea of school uniforms. There is no other way to be fair and non-discriminatory.

I grew up in So. Cal. The administration of the school in the early 80's decided that shorts were distracting, so they banned them. In September, in So. Cal. in a school w/ no air conditioning. We got that rule overturned, but it took a lawyer threatening a lawsuit.

My son attended the local middle school, he has a mohawk. They first asked me to cut it, I refused. His mowhawk, as long as it wasn't spiked, did not violate the dress code. He was continually harassed about his hair by the administration and teaching staff . I pointed out that what they were doing was harassment, that they were singling him out over his hair, while ignoring many other blatant dress code violations, and that the only reason his hair was a distraction was that they had decided to make it one. His grades (he left the school w/ a 1.6 GPA) and education suffered greatly because of the way the staff judged and treated him. Since pulling him out of that school, I have seen a tremendous improvement. His current GPA is 3.8, his curriculum is more challenging, he is enjoying school, and is self motivated to do his work.

You know what, that's something that I never considered, distraction to the teacher and staff. Everyone carries their biases with them some can put them on the side and still work with someone, but others cannot. This is something that I never considered to be such a part of the equation.

Back in the day, I used to write extra reports. My work was consistently a B for just about anything I turned in, so I started selling those extra reports to the football students. I'd let them pick out from the entire inventory that I had and I'd get the left overs to turn in. I'd still get B grades, they'd still get C grades. I figured that was this bias I'm speaking about, I never considered it for dress and appearance, but it makes sense to me.

The whole school dress code issue has always been about and will always be about control. Administrators and teachers are human just like everyone else and can suffer from the hubris of authority. It's the idea that "how dare a student not listen to me, ME!" This notion that they are entitled to automatic respect because of their position often results in harrassment when a student has the audacity to stand up to them and tell them they will not respect ludicrous and meaningless rules. Of course, in the elementary and middle school levels, it's usually the parents like you who have to take the stand for their children.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that school dress codes were a superficial solution to deeper educational problems. It's symptomatic of an institution that operates more in the universe of controlling and manipulating students to maintain funding than in actually educating students. The style of one's hair or the color of one's clothing have absolutely no bearing on a person's ability to learn.

I would argue that if someone is distracted by a mohawk to the point they cannot study in school or the trauma of seeing baggy jeans follows them into the privacy of their own home where they are unable to study, then that person probably isn't prepared for the rigors of learning.

so in effect you are saying that facilitating and fostering a learning environment does not have any bearing on a person's ability to learn.

Am I understanding that correctly?

Do parents have to fit one category or the other cynth? I'm not a parent, but I'd like to think I'd be the kind of parent that tells her children that the rules aren't always right, but still have to be followed.

I'm one of those people that really had no childhood. My parents were lower-middle class and shoving me into tons of extracurricular activities that I grew to hate, go to private catholic music schools... it all felt overly conservative for a decade or more. Now I'm a punk-influenced woman with red hair and purple extensions (I was a blonde). Heh.

Because of this experience, I'd say that the complete point of school is not just education, but strong development of social skills. I know some parents do look for that, and some look only at how much your kid learns. They're all different really. I found my social skills were really stunted in school, because I was such an education-nut, and social outcast for it. Even in private school!

If your child started out in a uniform-wearing, conservative-oriented school, there's no real effect on their school time. They learn to keep learning at school, and outside school social activites separate. Its generally successful I think.

But, if a kid went to a public school with minor codes, then halfway through school must wear a uniform, lose their earrings, and stop dying their hair, well, you'll have problems.

Halfway through my own high school years, they brought the uniform back, but my year didn't have to get it, because we'd be graduating shortly. The parent/teacher/student/school board war that was uniforms was ugly, and went on for years. Now its mandatory at all schools.


I think absolutely yes MM. Lots of districts think of schools as a business, not as centers for learning. So how do they fix it? Increased structure and cut those "outside" influences.

I really feel its a terrible way of confronting the problem, and I'm sure some people with have major problems with it. I think the curriculum should be assessed, and changed. Then, if no changes, or worse, look at other options, whatever those may be.

I dunno, my first thought is "why assume its the students at fault? Maybe there's a lack of motivation from teachers, where students need it most, or poor teaching."

The only way I see a hairstyle being distractive is when somebody has a huge afro. I had to sit two seats behind a kid with an afro before in class and I couldn't see the board at all.

I would understand if they wanted children to not wear provocative clothing but dying hair bright pink or blue is just a way of identifying themselves. As long as it doesn't go too far to where all they care about is how they look, I don't think the school should interfere with a child trying to be creative.


EDIT: (To add more because I had to go away from the computer..) I was a 3.2 GPA student (surprising when you look at how often I ditched class). I had purple hair, wore black platform boots, and corsets that pretty much had my breasts falling out of them. I sat in the front and center row of the class and I was never bothered about being a distraction. The only time I was a distraction was during PE. I never did anything in PE but chat with the other kids.. so that's completely different.

My high school had pretty low test scores.. but part of that was mostly due to the fact that we were situated in the middle of a bad neighborhood. Lower middle class parents had two jobs sometimes and were unable to help motivate their kids to go to school or do well in school.

My school was pretty lenient with the dress code.. we weren't allowed to wear sexy corsets to school.. but I suppose they made me an exception because of my good grades/citizenship.. plus I hung out with some of the teachers during lunch.

I suppose other kids' situations differ greatly from mine so dress codes should be used when needed, but rules like these ought to be decided between staff and parents together.