Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Adams to introduce legislation requiring cursive be taught in schools
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- While learning to write in cursive was once a standard part of school curriculums across the country, many classrooms have stopped teaching students to loop and link their letters.
Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Adams (R) wants that to change.
The state lawmaker, who represents parts of Pike and Wayne counties in northeastern Pennsylvania, is introducing legislation that would require cursive to be taught in schools across the Commonwealth.
"Being able to write and read cursive is a fundamental and necessary skill for everyone to learn," Adams said in a press release on Wednesday. "Our founding documents like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are written in cursive. People sign their names in cursive, and official documents often require writing in cursive to memorialize business."
The proposed legislation would require "instruction in cursive handwriting or joined italics to be taught in the appropriate grade levels."
According to EducationWeek.org, currently 21 states require some sort of cursive writing instruction.
"Recent studies indicate that learning cursive has many developmental benefits including increased hand-eye coordination, critical thinking and increased self-confidence in students learning how to write in cursive," Adams said. "The added benefit of learning to write in cursive is the creation of a written self-identity that can separate human work from that of Artificial Intelligence and stymie plagiarism. It is clearly critical that the basics of this important skill be required in the classroom."
The proposal has not yet officially been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
