Iowa requires schools to teach cursive

Cursive instruction will be required at Iowa's public schools starting in the upcoming school year under new standards adopted by the Iowa Department of Education in June.

Why it matters: While some argue cursive is outdated, any focus on handwriting is a positive move for improving literacy rates, Shawn Datchuk , Iowa Reading Research Center director, says.

State of play: The new standards approved by the State Board of Education require learning manuscript writing, aka print, starting in kindergarten.

• They also require second grade students to begin learning cursive and form all cursive letters "efficiently and proportionately" by third grade.

Flashback: In 2010, most states, including Iowa , adopted national "Common Core" education standards that moved from emphasizing handwriting to keyboard skills.

• Cursive writing was completely cut .

Yes, but: There's a close link between early reading and writing skills, Datchuk tells Axios.

• Writing draws on knowledge of the alphabet, including the name, sound and formation of each letter. Handwriting is a cognitively demanding task, requiring kids to use their temporary "working memory."
• Once they become fluent in that skill, it moves into kids' long-term memory, which frees up their ability to process and learn other skills, like reading.

Caveat: There's no clear research that cursive lessons have any more benefits than manuscript writing, Datchuk says.

The big picture: The trend of requiring cursive again is growing nationwide, despite kids using technology like iPads and Chromebooks at younger ages and teachers complaining that they're already time-strapped, EdWeek reports .

• As of June 2024, 24 states (excluding Iowa) required cursive writing, according to cursive advocacy site mycursive.com .

Be smart: The University of Iowa reading center released a free program this month designed to help with handwriting instruction for younger kids.