States

The Number of States That Require Schools to Teach Cursive Is Growing

By Brooke Schultz — November 06, 2024 1 min read
Photo of child practicing cursive writing.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Washington College in Maryland became the butt of the joke on late night TV last month after it changed its logo—George Washington’s cursive signature—because it was “difficult to read and not immediately recognizable for many prospective students,” according to a news release from the small liberal arts college. The move also reignited the question of whether K-12 schools should teach cursive.

The gap in cursive education has been a source of debate in state legislatures across the country in recent years, with some researchers and historians advocating for its return. Researchers say that handwriting is linked to academic success, even if keyboards and texting have become the primary way to write and communicate. Historians worry about what is lost if people can’t discern primary texts, which are largely handwritten.

The push and pull of teaching cursive and penmanship has been ongoing since the mid-2010s, after most states adopted the Common Core State Standards, which did not expressly mention cursive but did emphasize keyboarding. Since then, though, there’s been a resurgence of cursive and handwriting education.

See also

A photograph of a close up of cursive handwriting that is undecipherable
E+

Less than 10 years ago, only 14 states required schools to teach cursive—but that number has been steadily increasing, with 24 now having some kind of requirement.

This year, Kentucky became the latest to legislate the matter, with children expected to be proficient by grade 5 under a measure set to take effect next school year. Iowa’s education department also announced a cursive requirement this year, with students expected to be able to form all cursive letters “efficiently and proportionately” by 3rd grade.

Here is a map of the states that require schools to teach cursive, along with details on the grades where it is taught.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

States Opinion The Age of 'Adulthood' Varies by State. This Matters for Your Students
States set different limits on when kids can do different things. What does this mean for education?
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
States Which States Require the Most—and Least—Instructional Time? Find Out
There's no national policy dictating how much time students must attend classes each year. That leads to wide variation by state.
2 min read
Image of someone working on a calendar.
Chainarong Prasertthai/iStock/Getty
States More States Are Testing the Limits Around Religion in Public Schools
A wave of state policies mixing public education and religion are challenging the church-state divide in public schools.
4 min read
An empty classroom is shown at A.G. Hilliard Elementary School on Sept. 2, 2017, in Houston.
An empty classroom is shown at A.G. Hilliard Elementary School on Sept. 2, 2017, in Houston. Texas's state school board has approved a curriculum with Bible-infused lessons, the latest of a wave of state policies challenging the church-state divide in schools.
David J. Phillip/AP
States A State Changed Anti-Bias Guidelines for Teachers After a Lawsuit. Will Others?
The lawsuit filed by a conservative law firm took issue with state guidelines on examining biases and diversifying curriculum.
5 min read
Students arrive for classes at Taylor Allderdice High School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2024.
Students arrive for classes at Taylor Allderdice High School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2024. As part of a recent court settlement, Pennsylvania will no longer require school districts to follow its set of guidelines that sought to confront racial and cultural biases in education.
Gene J. Puskar/AP