Kids should learn cursive. Their print needs work, too

Parents who are dismayed by the poor state of children's penmanship can take solace in the fact that cursive instruction is experiencing a resurgence. In the past decade and a half, as most states ceased mandating cursive writing in public schools, the subject has been making a comeback. Over a dozen states have reintroduced cursive requirements in recent years, with New Jersey and Pennsylvania being the most recent additions.

These measures stem from growing anxieties over the detrimental effects of classroom technology and the discovery that an entire generation of students lacks the ability to read the Declaration of Independence or sign their names due to the lack of instruction. Cursive has been part of American education since the nation's inception, and by the early 20th century, children were also being taught "print," which was believed to help establish early literacy skills by mimicking the text they encountered in books.

Despite the rise of technology, handwriting advocates have long been concerned about its impact. In 1955, the Saturday Evening Post attributed America's decline into a "nation of scrawlers" to the "increasing reliance on the telephone, typewriter, dictating machines, and electronic brains." Even in the 2010s, the debate continues.