Print is dead.
New Jersey is flipping the script and ordering its public schools to bring back cursive writing starting next fall.
In one of his final acts as governor, Phil Murphy on Monday signed legislation requiring students in third through fifth grades to learn cursive, insisting the move would help pupils with basic tasks such as opening bank accounts and signing checks later in life.
“For those of us who grew up handwriting our school papers, it’s hard to imagine that some children can no longer read or write using cursive,” said bill supporter and state Assemblywoman Shanique Speight.
“Requiring that cursive be taught in our public schools will benefit our students and prepare them for the future, so I am pleased to see this bill signed into law.”
Murphy even connected script to the United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary, saying learning penmanship gives students the ability to “read our nation’s founding documents.
“We owe it to our students to give them a well-rounded education that ensures they have the tools to fully understand our rich history and become competent leaders,” Murphy said in a statement.
The new law would apply to the next full school year, his office said.
“By embedding cursive instruction into the curriculum for grades three through five, this legislation strengthens our commitment to a well-rounded education that prepares students for real-world tasks, helps them connect with historical texts, and complements other learning,” said state Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer.
Cursive was generally kicked to the curb in 2010 when the much-maligned Common Core standards were pushed on districts.
New Jersey is among a number of states including California and New Hampshire that are now bringing cursive back to their curriculum.
New York education officials don’t currently mandate cursive to be taught. It is instead optional for individual districts.
But legislation proposed by state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island in New York City, would make it a requirement, although that bill has gained little traction in the past decade it’s been floating around Albany.
“The notion that a pupil could graduate from twelve years of education without knowing how to sign his or her name in cursive is unacceptable,” according to her proposal.
“This bill would require that this fundamental building block of our children’s education be removed from schools simply because they are not required as part of any of the numerous standardized tests students are subjected to.”
The New Jersey bill had attracted a slew of legislative support in the Garden State.
“Cursive writing is not about nostalgia – it’s about development,” said state Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie.
“From a learning-science perspective, handwriting engages neural pathways connected to literacy, attention and memory,” she said.
Murphy left office Tuesday as newly minted chief executive Mikie Sherrill, a fellow Democrat, was sworn in.
-Additional reporting by Vaughn Golden
