Trenton, NJ – Most young kids in New Jersey can’t read or write cursive. They don’t know how to form a proper signature or read important historical documents. That could soon change under a new bill re-introduced in Trenton.
A recently introduced bill would mandate that every school district in New Jersey include cursive writing instruction within their elementary school curriculum.
This legislative move counters students’ declining cursive writing ability, attributed to the increasing use of digital technologies for communication. Highlighting cursive’s significance, the bill points out the cognitive benefits of learning cursive writing, such as activating multiple brain parts, unlike typing or reading printed letters.
The bill emphasizes the importance of cursive for understanding historical documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, which are written in cursive. This instruction aims to ensure students can read these documents in their original form, sign their names in cursive, and benefit from the cognitive and motor skills developed through learning cursive writing.