School dress codes have been making news as students speak out about the ways the standards appear to them to be unfair, particularly to girls and Black males. Girls' clothing choices are singled out for being overly revealing and a distraction to boys, while Black males' choices are perceived as being associated with criminality. The authors…

Strict dress codes have been virtually eliminated in the public schools, particularly those regulations for hair length and style. The existing grooming policies are general and deal mainly with cleanliness, neatness, appropriateness, safety, health, and nondisruption of the learning environment. (Author)

Two middle-school students unsuccessfully challenged a Phoenix school's mandatory school uniform policy. The attorney representing the district interpreted the appellate court's decision as providing assurance for public schools that such policies are constitutional, provided they are content-neutral, not aimed at suppressing any particular…

Concerned about President Clinton's "bully pulpit" endorsement of uniforms in public schools, an educator ponders their acceptance by fellow conservatives who allegedly abhor governmental intrusion into citizens' daily lives. Mandatory uniform policies will not dispel gang activity, banish economic distinctions, or create an academically serious…

A mother in rural Illinois who demonstrated against a dress-code policy at a school board meeting by brandishing a toy gun was banned from future school activities and filed suit. Courts upheld the board's policy of imposing reasonable restrictions on time, place, and manner of free speech. (MLH)

Japanese teachers participating in a workshop activity shared observations about U.S. schools. Teachers saw American schools' disciplinary procedures as stricter and more punitive than their own, marveled at principals' visibility and students' attention to attire, and noted that strict grading practices conflicted with instructional creativity…