California reintroduces cursive writing into the classroom

Ask a teenager to sign their name on a card or their new driver’s license and you’ll likely be greeted with a look of panic or bewilderment.

Cursive skipped a generation or two when the Common Core Curriculum leaned more toward the keyboard in 2010. Now. though, cursive is back after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law last October making cursive part of the elementary school curriculum.

“Handwriting in cursive is absolutely essential,” said Julie Blake, a literacy specialist for the Cajon Valley Union School District. “Think of any teenager trying to get their driver's license, and that comes with a signature line. They're not sure what to write.”

Blake said it’s more important than a “John Hancock.” She cited a Princeton study comparing students taking notes.

“They find the students that handwrite their notes outperform students who've taken notes with keyboarding,” Blake explained. “Handwriting opens up a whole avenue of remembering information.”

Blake said the new law also opens up more funding to help schools reintroduce the curriculum in classrooms.