Pennsylvania students will soon join a growing number of their peers nationwide practicing the looping, connected script of cursive writing\u2014part of a broader national revival of the once-standard classroom skill. <\/p>\n
At least half of the nation\u2019s states have adopted cursive writing instruction<\/a> in recent years, reversing a sharp decline in teaching of that skill after the Common Core, launched in 2010, omitted it from its standards.<\/p>\n Lawmakers such as Republican Sen. Wayne Langerholc, who sponsored Pennsylvania\u2019s cursive bill<\/a> that became law on Feb. 11, tout what they see as the skill\u2019s benefits to students. <\/p>\n \u201cBy reintegrating cursive into the curriculum, we are not simply teaching handwriting, we are investing in our students\u2019 cognitive development, strengthening their legal preparedness and preserving their connection to historical literacy,\u201d Langerholc<\/a> told constituents.<\/p>\n But educators say the return to cursive won\u2019t be without challenges. Schools will need to figure out where and when during the school day to fit in the teaching of those skills. It may compete with keyboard instruction for space in the schedule, as both skills are typically taught between grades 3 and 5. Also, teachers will require patience as they teach cursive instruction to today\u2019s students, many of whom struggle with fine motor skills\u2014a prerequisite to mastering this handwriting style. Additionally, the majority of teachers charged with teaching cursive writing may not remember how to teach it, and some probably never learned it when they were students, and most of the recent legislation around cursive doesn\u2019t mention funding for teacher training. <\/p>\n The shift from cursive to keyboarding<\/p>\n After more than a century of teaching cursive handwriting to elementary school students, digital keyboarding skills began to show up in the curricula in the late 90\u2019s<\/a>. The shift accelerated after Common Core went into effect in 2010, which emphasized typing skills<\/a> while omitting cursive writing.<\/p>\n Reliance on keyboard skills grew during the pandemic, as remote learning required the use of devices. Schools continued to rely heavily on devices after the pandemic<\/a>. <\/p>\n In spring 2021, 90% of district leaders surveyed by the EdWeek Research Center said they were providing a device for every middle and high school student, and 84% said they were doing the same for elementary school students.<\/p>\n Balancing keyboard and cursive skills<\/p>\n As long as schools and employers continue to rely on electronic devices, students will need to become comfortable using a keyboard. Only now, many of these same students will be tasked with learning cursive, too.<\/p>\n \u201cKeyboarding skills are important for both school demands and as a life skill,\u201d said Denise Donica, professor and chair of the department of occupational therapy at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. <\/p>\n Donica sees the practical benefits of cursive, too. She noted that once students master cursive, it\u2019s quicker than printing. And some students prefer cursive to print, in which each letter is formed separately. \u201cStudents who have struggled with printing may welcome a fresh start with cursive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Other advocates of cursive argue that its outsized effects on cognitive development\u2014especially compared to keyboarding\u2014warrant its return to classroom instruction. But the majority of research on handwriting\u2019s benefits applies to both cursive and print<\/a>. <\/p>\n Fine motor skills: a prerequisite to cursive and print handwriting<\/p>\n Learning both cursive and print requires fine motor skills, while many teachers report that these essential foundational skills are on the decline. <\/p>\n In a January 2026 online survey of 1,163 early educators, the EdWeek Research Center asked: In the past two years, what\u2014if any\u2014changes have you seen in the percentage of students in your classroom, school, or program who have age-appropriate fine motor skills? Seventy percent of respondents said their students\u2019 fine motor skills had decreased.<\/p>\n Other statistics mirror these findings. In a national 2025 survey of 569 primary school teachers in the United Kingdom, 77% of respondents said that, compared to 2000, students have more difficulty performing tasks that require fine motor skills, such as holding a pencil, drawing, writing, and using scissors<\/a>.<\/p>\n