An Exploration of Teacher Dress Codes

Format Type

Plenary

Format Type

Paper

Start Date

13-1-2021 4:20 PM

End Date

13-1-2021 4:40 PM

Abstract

Student dress codes have received considerable attention in recent years. However, little research has been conducted on teacher dress codes. Million (2004) surveyed principals and found that even if there was not a formal dress code in place for teachers, the principals expected them to dress professionally and believed that doing so demonstrated respect for the school and positively influenced student behavior. To better understand the district-level expectations for teacher attire, I examined 250 employee handbooks (5 from each of the 50 states) looking for information on the specificity of the dress code, what guidelines were in place, and whom was responsible for setting and enforcing the dress code on campuses. I also explored the data to see if there were patterns based on whether a state was right-to-work or union. Results showed a range of specificity in dress codes, with some being quite detailed while others were not mentioned. In right-to-work states, there appeared to be a greater concern with public perception of teachers, but nearly all dress codes place an emphasis on dressing “professionally” or “appropriately”. Interestingly, the majority of right-to-work states had guidelines specific to jeans while few of the union states did. These findings contribute to a discussion of teacher deprofessionalization and lack of autonomy.

Keywords

teacher dress code, deprofessionalization, document analysis

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Jan 13th, 4:20 PM Jan 13th, 4:40 PM

An Exploration of Teacher Dress Codes

Student dress codes have received considerable attention in recent years. However, little research has been conducted on teacher dress codes. Million (2004) surveyed principals and found that even if there was not a formal dress code in place for teachers, the principals expected them to dress professionally and believed that doing so demonstrated respect for the school and positively influenced student behavior. To better understand the district-level expectations for teacher attire, I examined 250 employee handbooks (5 from each of the 50 states) looking for information on the specificity of the dress code, what guidelines were in place, and whom was responsible for setting and enforcing the dress code on campuses. I also explored the data to see if there were patterns based on whether a state was right-to-work or union. Results showed a range of specificity in dress codes, with some being quite detailed while others were not mentioned. In right-to-work states, there appeared to be a greater concern with public perception of teachers, but nearly all dress codes place an emphasis on dressing “professionally” or “appropriately”. Interestingly, the majority of right-to-work states had guidelines specific to jeans while few of the union states did. These findings contribute to a discussion of teacher deprofessionalization and lack of autonomy.