Study Guide: Analysis of Gender Discrimination in Public School Dress Codes

Project Details: - Student: Suzanne Student - Instructor: Professor Hill - Course: ENGL 1101 - Date: 7 December, 2023 - Title: "Dress Codes: Is the enforcement of dress codes unfair to girls in public schools?"
Introduction to Dress Codes: Dress codes are a standard implementation in American public schools used to police student clothing.
Proposed Purpose: Administrators claim these codes minimize distractions during the school day to facilitate learning.
Central Argument (Thesis): Despite the intent to help students learn, dress codes frequently result in discrimination and unfair disadvantages for young girls. The implementation is often discriminatory, causing the rules to have the opposite of their intended effect.

Policy Framework: The Cherokee County School District handbook provides a comprehensive dress code written in gender-neutral language.
Specific Clothing Rules: - The handbook does not specify different rules for boys and girls. - Shorts Length Requirement: Shorts length must be appropriate, defined as mid-thigh ( $5\,\text{inches}$ from the top of the kneecap). - Measurement Standards: The length can be measured using a ruler or the width of a $3 \times 5\,\text{inch}$ index card.
Discrepancy in Application: While the written code is technically equal, teachers and administrators often enforce these rules unequally in practice, targeting girls more frequently than boys.

Pavlakis and Roegman Study (2018): - Researchers created an index to measure the "relative risk" of different groups being dress-coded. - Data was gathered from a diverse public high school. - Findings: The model demonstrated that female students have a significantly higher risk of being dress-coded than their male counterparts.
Comparative Examples of Enforcement: - If a boy wears a ripped shirt and a girl wears a tank top (both violations), the boy statistically receives less attention from staff. - Girls are more likely to be asked to change clothes, face administrative meetings, or receive disciplinary action for the same violations committed by boys.

Gender Ratios in Education: There are statistically more female teachers and administrators in the public school system than male educators.
Divergent Enforcement Styles: - Female Educators: Often more likely to discipline girls for attire and tend to do so more harshly than they do with boys. - Male Educators: Generally found to be fairer in enforcement, though they are fewer in number.
The "Pervert" Perception Stigma: Male teachers often avoid dress-coding female students due to fear of social perception. - Direct Quote: One teacher stated, "If I ask a girl to change… I am afraid of the perception that will put on me as a male teacher. I don't want to be accused of being a pervert" (Pavlakis 24). - Resulting Workflow: Male teachers often ask female colleagues to handle the discipline, and these female teachers are statistically more likely to discriminate against the female students.

Responsibility for Distraction: Dress codes place the burden on girls to cover their bodies to avoid distracting male students.
Critics' Perspectives: Critics argue that female students should not be responsible for the attention span of classmates. They contend that uneven punishment reinforces the idea that women are responsible for any sexual harassment they face based on fashion choices.
Concept of "Policing": Restrictions are often viewed as a method of "policing female bodies."
Modesty Standards: - Societal norms regarding immodesty (showing shoulders or legs) are applied more strictly to girls than boys. - Stimulation Arguments: Arguments are frequently made that teen boys are more stimulated by a girl's legs than vice versa; however, the author argues that any violation should be treated equally regardless of perceived stimulation levels.

Diversion from Learning: Dress-coding takes away from active instruction time for the entire class.
Fetishization of Metrics: Robson (2013) notes that school districts often "fetishize the number of inches between the hem of a skirt and the top of a knee" rather than focusing on substantive learning.
Conclusion and Proposed Solutions: - Biases and societal norms contribute to the unfair treatment of girls. - Proposed Resolutions: Training for teachers on how to enforce gender-neutral rules correctly and taking active steps to change existing social norms.

Hightower, Brian: Cherokee Country School District 20-21 Code of Conduct. 2020.
Pavlakis, Alyssa, and Rachel Roegman: "How Dress Codes Criminalize Males and Sexualize Females of Color." Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 100, no. 2, Oct. 2018, pp. 54–58.
Robson, Ruthann: "Strict School Dress Codes Have Gone Beyond Safety Concerns." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, 2020. (Originally in Los Angeles Times, 5 Sept. 2013).
"School Dress Codes": Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019.

Analytical Questions from the Document: 1. Thesis Identification: The thesis is stated as the rules having the opposite effect due to discriminatory implementation (Paragraph 1). 2. Strengthening Arguments: Paragraph 6 regarding modesty would be strengthened by giving more examples of different standards for boys vs. girls. 3. MLA Citations: Identification of errors in the "School Dress Codes" entry (the database name Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints should be in italics). 4. Grammar Checks: Identification of pronoun errors and apostrophe errors (e.g., "student's" vs "students'"). 5. Rhetorical Appeals: The use of statistics in the essay represents Logos. 6. Method of Development: The essay primarily uses Definition and Cause-Effect, though it does NOT use Narrative. 7. Tone: The tone is described as Persuasive and passionate. 8. Formatting: Correct essay title capitalization: "Dress Codes: Is the Enforcement of Dress Codes Unfair to Girls in Public Schools?" 9. Block Quotes: Paragraph 2's direct quote regarding the CCSD handbook measurement requirements is long enough that it should potentially be formatted as a block quote if it exceeds four lines. 10. Credibility: The essay's credibility is weakened in paragraph 4 because it makes sweeping generalizations about female teachers disciplining girls more harshly without citing specific empirical evidence for that specific behavioral claim.