In 3rd grade, many children learn how to connect the letters of the alphabet into loopy, flowing words. Called cursive, the writing style has been a staple in American classrooms since the pioneer days.
In recent years, however, the fortunes of the cursive style have tumbled as kids’ fingers spend more time tapping texts on their smartphones. Also known as script and longhand, cursive has lost its relevance in many classrooms as schools gaze into the digital future and place more emphasis on keyboard skills.
Call us crusty curmudgeons, but we believe there’s a strong educational purpose in teaching the old-fashioned art of cursive writing as practiced by our Founding Fathers.
In 2010, when new Common Core curriculum standards dropped cursive writing in favor of keyboard skills that lend themselves to classroom testing and high-stakes accountability, Indiana also removed cursive from its requirements.
State Sen. Jean Leising worries that cursive writing will disappear from the state’s education landscape, and she’s offered a bill every year since 2011 requiring schools to teach it.
Other than gaining some media attention each year, Leising’s bill has failed to gain traction. This year, the bill passed the Senate handily, but stalled in the House where it’s running out of time to receive a committee hearing. It’s likely doomed for another year.
But educators don’t need a state law requiring them to teach it. The state leaves it to the discretion of local school districts. We would like to see the Department of Education recommend students still be able to read and write in cursive.
More states are beginning to re-emphasize cursive and the art of penmanship. There’s more evidence that it plays an important foundational role in early education.
Last year, Alabama and Louisiana passed laws requiring state proficiency. Twelve other states have done so recently, as well. New York City Schools, which is the largest district in the country, is urging the teaching of cursive beginning in the fall.
In defense of cursive, a 2012 study showed students who learned it gained more benefits because they developed motor movements in their hands and fingers as they processed what words they wanted to put on paper.
Other studies report that students who learn both cursive and print perform better on reading tests. One study shows cursive writing stimulates both sides of the brain, an exercise that keyboarding does not do. Some educators use cursive to help students with dyslexia. The College Board has reported that students who write their own SAT essays seem to score slightly higher than those who type them.
It’s also important for young students to be able to read and understand handwriting. While politicians prattle on about threats to democracy, read the beautifully scripted Declaration of Independence. It provides not only the foundation of tenets we believe in today, but a history lesson on the courageous men, like John Hancock, who signed it.
Cursive writing teaches us lessons about our past, and it should still be a framework for young minds preparing for the future.