If you’re older than 30, you probably had to learn cursive in school. The writing style, however, has faded in the last decade or so. But starting next year, cursive instruction will be mandatory for all California elementary school children. Proponents say individuals need to learn how to read old documents like The Constitution and sign their name by hand, if necessary. Opponents argue it’s a waste of classroom time in our digital age.
The implementation of Common Core learning standards in the 2010s spelled the end of cursive education in school, says Sara Randazzo, education reporter for the Wall Street Journal. It included the requirement for all students to learn how to write in print, but never mentioned cursive.
“It's seen as a bit of an extra to some people. But obviously, handwriting in its basic form is very useful. And so a lot of people said even if it's not cursive, kids obviously still need to handwrite,” Randazzo explains.
Nowadays, the forms of cursive taught in school differ from generations past, such as the Palmer Method.
“The places that do teach cursive now, a lot of it is not that traditional, slanted style that we think of from our grandmother's era. There's newer methods that are much more upright and a little simpler. And so a lot of people say, ‘Okay, we can still teach cursive, it's easier. It doesn't have to be this huge, belabored thing, but it does give an extra skill to kids.’”
So why teach cursive? Beyond reading old documents with loopy script, Randazzo says some advocates argue that cursive helps cognitive functioning. She points to occupational therapists, who say it helps kids with dyslexia focus and improve reading and writing skills.
Randazzo says cursive has been part of California education standards for a while. However, State Representative Sharon Quirk-Silva — who is also a school teacher — heard it wasn’t being taught evenly. Initially, she tried to raise the issue in 2016 with then-Governor Jerry Brown, to little success. It’s a similar struggle in other states.
“In some states, there's some politicians who've worked very hard to try to get cursive [passed] and keep hitting roadblocks. I spoke to a state senator in Indiana, for instance, who's put forward a cursive bill every year for something like a dozen years, and then it keeps getting killed. And so there's definitely [a] mixed appetite depending on the state and then the government.”
The new law has received mixed reactions from Californians.