Cursive Handwriting and Learning

Kevin Dickinson notes that Ohio and Louisiana have mandated cursive writing in public school curricula. He reviews the educational arguements for and against cursive handwriting. Dickinson cites a number of research pieces, as well as a brief history of handwriting.

Dickinson's concluding paragraph states:

In this light, Ohio and Louisiana's legislation is far too sweeping. It may be worth introducing students to cursive, and students who find it appealing can certainly master it, but requiring legible cursive by fifth grade—let alone mandating it until twelfth—says more about the legislative's desire to polish the patina off a cultural artifact than an understanding of child development.

-DD