Dick Van Der Laan of the Long Beach Unified School District, when asked his opinion on the statistics, stated: "We can't attribute the improvement exclusively to school uniforms, but we think it's more than coincidental. There's less conflict among students. Students concentrate more on education, not on who's wearing $100 shoes or gang attire." With such statistics at hand, it is hard to argue that the decrease in violence is not related to uniforms, although it cannot be proven with much if any prolonged data (Noll).
Uniforms may also heighten discipline in public schools, and provide a sense of unity between students (Cruz). Uniforms usually consist of either a collared shirt or t-shirt with the school's name on the front, and khaki or corduroy bottoms, both of which commonly represent the school's colors. With students having such limited attire, it cancels out being wrongly picked on or "bullied" based on students who can afford to wear a brand name versus students who may not be able to afford such luxuries. One ninth grade student at M.E. LaZerte High School agrees with such inquiries, expressing her opinion on a possible dress code being enforced at her school: "Sometimes people don't want to hang out with you because you don't wear the right labels. We'd probably have totally different friends because we'd pick friends based on how they act, not on how they look." This reiterates the fact that some students just don't want to be singled out, or want others to be singled out, based solely on the clothing they can or cannot afford. .
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There are even school developed assistance plans available to students who may not be able to afford uniforms. Used uniforms are also donated back to the school to help these needy families. Uniforms may give students a chance to focus less on their attire, and maybe bit more on the day ahead of them or schoolwork and assignments.
