Most Active Stories News & Music Contributors Do we still need
to learn cursive? Cursive handwriting may soon go the way of the
card catalog and the film projector. Schools are moving to new
curriculum standards that put more emphasis on typing skills.
But not everyone is ready for the cursive alphabet to become a
relic. Jessica Robinson reports the Idaho legislature is
considering a statewide cursive mandate. Idaho is one of 45
states, including Oregon and Washington, that have adopted a new
set of national math and language standards called the Common
Core. They establish expectations for each grade level.
Keyboarding starts in 3rd grade. Cursive handwriting is not
included. That slight has heated up an already simmering debate
about the value of cursive, says Rich Christen. He's an
educational historian at the University of Portland. Christen
says there aren't a lot of practical reasons any more for
teaching cursive. Rich Christen: “But I think the aesthetic
argument can still be made. I think that it's an