Don’t Call It a Comeback: New Law Mandates Cursive Lessons in Schools
If you’re Gen X or a Baby Boomer, chances are you were expected to learn cursive when you were in school. Cursive introduction was standard practice until the early 2000s. Although schools never formally stopped teaching it, it fell out of favor as districts began focusing on basic literacy and arithmetic instead.
That’s about to change. This month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 446 (Quirk-Silva D-Fullerton). It requires all public schools to teach cursive to students in grades 1 through 6.
“As a teacher for over 30 years, cursive writing was always an important part of our curriculum. This is an issue of equity because access to cursive education has depended on the school district a student attends,” Quirk-Silva said (CBS).
“Research has shown that cursive handwriting enhances a child's brain development including memorization and improves fine motor skills. This bill ensures that the younger generation is equipped with the skills needed to navigate the demands of the world of today, and to connect with their history in the world of yesterday.”
Write on!
