California Passes Legislation Mandating Cursive Instruction

California Governor Gavin Newsom has recently approved a bill that aims to reintroduce the teaching of cursive writing in the state's educational curriculum. The newly passed legislation, known as California Assembly Bill 446, effectively amends the state's education code to incorporate the instruction of cursive or joined italics for students in grades one through six.
 

Embracing the Art of Handwriting
 
The primary sponsor of the bill, California Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva from Fullerton, expressed her intentions behind this significant move. She noted that the legislation is designed to equip students to read and write in cursive, enabling them to access and comprehend primary source historical documents. 
 
In her own words, Quirk-Silva emphasized the historical importance of cursive writing: "A lot of the historical documents going back two or three decades are actually in cursive. I went on 23andMe looking for some family records, and they were all written in cursive."
 
Cursive's Cognitive Benefits
 
While the reintroduction of cursive writing may seem somewhat old-fashioned in our digital age, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that teaching cursive can provide cognitive advantages to students. A study conducted in 2020 by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology discovered that writing in cursive triggers different patterns of electrical brain activity compared to typing. The study argued that young children should be taught to write by hand successfully while also becoming proficient in keyboard typing.
 
A Nationwide Trend: The Return of Cursive Writing
 
California is not alone in its efforts to reintroduce cursive writing into the educational system. A total of 17 states across the United States have passed laws mandating the teaching of cursive. These states are as follows:
 
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
 
The resurgence of cursive instruction reflects a broader recognition of the significance of preserving this timeless skill and its potential benefits for students' cognitive development. While digital communication remains prevalent, the art of cursive writing continues to find its place in modern education.