All public schools should require students to wear uniforms. When students wear uniforms, they focus more on learning and less on fashion trends or judging each other's clothing choices.
Research supports this claim. A study by the National Association of Elementary School Principals found that 86% of school leaders believed uniforms made a "significant, positive impact" on peer pressure. Additionally, Long Beach Unified School District reported a 91% decrease in suspensions and a 36% decrease in school crime after implementing uniforms.
Critics argue that uniforms limit self-expression, but students can express themselves in countless other ways - through art, music, writing, and extracurricular activities. Clothing is just one small form of expression, and the benefits of uniforms far outweigh this minor limitation.
Some say uniforms are expensive, but actually, buying a few uniform pieces costs much less than keeping up with ever-changing fashion trends. Families save money in the long run.
For these reasons, every public school should adopt a uniform policy.
Energy drinks should be illegal for anyone under 18. These beverages are dangerous and have no place in the lives of young people.
Everyone knows energy drinks are bad for you. My cousin drank three energy drinks before a basketball game and had to go to the hospital. If energy drinks can do that to a healthy athlete, imagine what they're doing to regular kids who drink them every day.
The big energy drink companies don't care about your health - they only care about making money. They use flashy advertisements with extreme sports athletes to make young people think these drinks will give them special powers. Don't be fooled by corporate greed!
Some people say teens should be able to make their own choices, but that's ridiculous. Teenagers can't buy cigarettes or alcohol, so why should they be able to buy something equally dangerous? Either we protect young people or we don't - there's no middle ground.
We must ban these toxic drinks before more children are harmed.
Traditional summer breaks may feel like a cherished tradition, but research suggests year-round schooling better serves students' educational needs. Schools should seriously consider adopting year-round calendars.
The most compelling argument for year-round schooling involves learning retention. According to a Johns Hopkins University study, students lose approximately two months of mathematical computation skills during summer break - a phenomenon researchers call "summer slide." Year-round schedules, with shorter, more frequent breaks, reduce this learning loss significantly.
Year-round schooling also benefits working families. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 64% of families with school-age children have two working parents. Traditional summer breaks create childcare challenges that year-round schooling helps address through more manageable break periods.
Opponents argue that year-round schooling disrupts family vacations, but many year-round schools offer flexible track systems allowing families to choose their break schedules. Additionally, shorter breaks spread throughout the year actually provide more vacation opportunities than one long summer.
While implementing year-round schooling requires adjustments, the educational benefits make it a change worth considering.