New York State dropped the requirement to learn cursive writing in public schools in 2011.

More States Add Cursive Writing Back Into Curriculum

By Michael Woyton, Patch , Bedford-Katona, New Jesey, Staff    
More States Add Cursive Writing Back Into Curriculum [POLL]
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You wouldn’t think that signing on the dotted line would be such a big deal, but apparently some states think it is. New York declared in 2011 in the state education department’s Common Core Learning Standards that cursive writing would no longer be a requirement in public schools.However, the education department’s website said that teaching cursive is a local school district decision in the state.Neighboring New Jersey is the most recent state that is considering bringing back cursive handwriting.

The Poll is now closed.

Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, D-Jersey City, said it was a mistake for the state to have dropped the practice in 2010 and has crafted a bill that would require elementary schools to teach how to read and write in cursive, CBS New York reported.

She cited a number of important documents that need to be signed, such as a driver’s license and a passport.

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If the bill comes to fruition, New Jersey will be joining Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, California, Florida, Texas and North Carolina in reinstating the practice, CNN said.

While technology allows students to type more legibly than they can write, the New York City Department of Education said it found students were better at processing information when they are writing by hand as opposed to typing, Bethany Mandel said in a New York Post opinion piece.

One downside, at least to Noelle Mapes, a third-grade teacher in Manhattan, is the time the cursive learning process would take up during the school day, the New York Times reported.

She said it feels like a nostalgic move and schools and teachers face other demands, such as adding digital literacy, typing skills and activism skills.

Now it’s your time to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.

 

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