Published: September 4, 1996

Fashion Statement

Joe Catalano, a 27-year teaching veteran, has gotten back in the habit of wearing a tie to work. Each morning, he makes his selection from a closet bulging with traditional prints, Mickey Mouse and Looney Tunes characters, and golf and basketball themes.

Catalano, a 6th grade teacher at Niagara Falls Middle School in Niagara Falls, New York, has plenty of company. Nearly all the men at his school wear dress shirts and ties, while the women teach in skirts, dresses, suits, or tailored Catalano, a 6th grade teacher at Niagara Middle School in Niagara Falls, New York, has plenty of pants. The businesslike attire isn't the result of a school board edict or principal's command. Instead, the teachers decided when school opened last year to show their high expectations for students--and themselves--by wearing professional clothing.

Many of their colleagues around the country are making a similar fashion statement. They are saving jeans, T-shirts, shorts, and sweat suits for the backyard...