The Next Step Public Charter School

Location: 
16th and Irving St. NW

In our second class at Next Step PCS, students chose to lead a campaign that focused on implementing a uniform policy for their school. 

The students cited several reasons they would like to have uniforms at their school, which included: 

  • Uniforms being a social equalizer: helping students not be treated differently based on the clothes they can afford 
  • Adding to security of the school: provides clear identifiers of who should be in the building or not
  • Improving access to public transportation: DC provides free bus rides to students, but Next Step students said because they are older than most high school students and do not wear a uniform, bus drivers often do not believe they are enrolled in a school.
After identifying how uniforms would be a helpful tool to solve several problems they encounter every day, they took photos to represent the issues and surveyed their peers to see if the rest of the school supported their idea to implement a new uniform policy. Their survey was supported by school administration who helped the survey reach 118 out of 145 students enrolled in their school, which makes it the most comprehensive peer survey in Critical Exposure history. 
A majority of students polled agreed that uniforms will be beneficial based on the reasons generated by the class. The students will soon present their photos and research to the principal and board of directors.