Cursive reemerges in colleges, with pushback from consultants : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5b%2Fdc%2F3a1883bf4278b19875abe8a604a5%2Farl-020526-06.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5b%2Fdc%2F3a1883bf4278b19875abe8a604a5%2Farl-020526-06.JPG" class="img" alt="Halle O’Brien writes during after-school Cursive Club, held by teacher Sherisse Kenerson, at Holmes Middle School in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Halle O'Brien writes throughout after-school cursive membership, held by trainer Sherisse Kenerson, at Holmes Center College in Alexandria, Va. Anna Rose Layden for NPR disguise caption

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Anna Rose Layden for NPR Twelve-year-old Sandi Chandee desires to be a health care provider when she grows up. However that is not why she memorized one of many longest medical phrases within the English language:

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

In Sherisse Kenerson's after-school classroom, Sandi takes out a chunk of paper and fills up an entire line to spell the phrase that describes a sort of lung illness. The phrase permits her to apply cursive — her new favourite technique of writing.

When she turns into a health care provider, Sandi, who indicators her cursive autograph with a coronary heart above the i, is set to have an ideal signature.

Twelve-year-old Halle O'Brien, Sandi's cursive partner-in-crime, agrees.

"I desire writing in cursive," Halle stated.

The pair are proud members of the Holmes Center College cursive membership in Virginia. Cursive has been on the upswing for years now. Greater than two dozen states now require cursive instruction in colleges after the 2010 Widespread Core requirements omitted the talent.

Kenerson, a multilingual trainer at Holmes, began the center faculty membership when college students could not learn her writing on the board. They simply stared at her blankly, she stated.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6c%2F04%2Fb99360ed4babae1ac4deb8fcb24c%2Farl-020526-04.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6c%2F04%2Fb99360ed4babae1ac4deb8fcb24c%2Farl-020526-04.JPG" class="img" alt="Conrad Thompson writes during after-school Cursive Club, held by teacher Sherisse Kenerson, at Holmes Middle School in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Conrad Thompson writes throughout cursive membership. Anna Rose Layden for NPR disguise caption

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Anna Rose Layden for NPR "I noticed they did not know learn how to write or learn in cursive," Kenerson stated. For an educator who firmly believes that quotes need to be written in cursive, and has a brand new one on her board every month, Kenerson needed to provide college students an opportunity to know the magic of the crazy writing.

The membership exploded in reputation this previous winter, with native information stations and the Washington Put up crediting it for "maintaining cursive alive." Since then, Kenerson has been racking her mind making an attempt to determine why it has drawn a lot consideration.

She has obtained fan mail from retirees and lecturers (written in cursive, in fact). She has heard from folks in Idaho, Pennsylvania and Florida. She has even had Zoom calls with educators in Oklahoma and Maryland to elucidate how she runs the membership.

"I am flabbergasted," Kenerson stated. "I am simply going together with the journey."

She determined that cursive is a technique to maintain on to the previous, and many individuals are usually not able to let it go.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe3%2F70%2F5d77fe2c45c58b9cd6bc213bd455%2Farl-020526-24-edit.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe3%2F70%2F5d77fe2c45c58b9cd6bc213bd455%2Farl-020526-24-edit.jpg" class="img" alt="Teacher Sherisse Kenerson talks to students at the front of the classroom." loading="lazy"/> Trainer Sherisse Kenerson has obtained fan mail from retirees and lecturers for beginning the membership. Anna Rose Layden for NPR disguise caption

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Anna Rose Layden for NPR Kenerson's after-school membership is an area instance of a nationwide development — cursive handwriting is again in lots of school rooms throughout the nation. Academics and legislators credit score the resurgence to nostalgia and a few proof of academic advantages. However surprisingly, the curves and swoops are contentious amongst consultants, and a few argue that cursive doesn't add any actual worth for college students, particularly within the age of synthetic intelligence.

"I've seen no proof that cursive brings any specific cognitive or studying profit past that introduced by hand printing," wrote Mark Warschauer, a professor of schooling on the College of California, Irvine, in an e-mail to NPR. He famous that the cognitive advantages of younger college students writing by hand usually are already properly established.

Warschauer, who based the UC Irvine Digital Studying Lab, opposes instructing cursive in colleges due to the "waste of effort and time" when print handwriting, voice-to-text purposes, and keyboards are simply accessible to college students.

A lot of the cursive debate facilities round time within the classroom. Ought to educators spend treasured minutes instructing one other technique to write on paper when expertise is so prevalent?

Shawn Datchuk, a professor of particular schooling on the College of Iowa, stated the reply doesn't need to be one or the opposite. In his school classroom, he sees college students more and more utilizing tablets and a stylus to take notes.

"What which means is that as a rustic, we possible want to assist our college students turn into multi-modal," Datchuk stated. They should not solely have the ability to handwrite utilizing print, but additionally use cursive, sort, and work together with expertise, he stated.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x5147+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F52%2Ffe%2F828bec1f44d8997d36f515c5d336%2Farl-020526-28-trio.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x5147+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F52%2Ffe%2F828bec1f44d8997d36f515c5d336%2Farl-020526-28-trio.jpg" class="img" alt="Sandi Chandee, left, and Halle O’Brien, right, practice their writing during after-school Cursive Club, held by teacher Sherisse Kenerson, at Holmes Middle School in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Prime left: Kenerson demonstrates writing cursive letters on the whiteboard. Proper: Kenerson helps a scholar with their worksheet. Backside: Sandi Chandee (proper) and Halle O'Brien apply their writing throughout cursive membership. Anna Rose Layden for NPR disguise caption

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Anna Rose Layden for NPR Expertise shouldn't be a fix-all for college students, although, he stated.

"One of many soiled secrets and techniques behind spell checker and synthetic intelligence is that you just nonetheless want to have the ability to spell to be able to use these properly," Datchuk stated.

He and a staff of researchers compiled the recognized research on cursive instructing. Some research used antiquated expertise like ink wells and quill ideas, so that they had been reduce. A couple of of the others had been lacking particulars on how the instruction was carried out. With these caveats, Datchuk stated, preliminary proof exhibits cursive writing may enhance spelling.

Datchuk stated the "particular sauce" for cursive is that college students need to pay nearer consideration to how letters join after they write.

Kenerson, the cursive membership's founder, stated she's seen anecdotal proof that cursive helps college students with dyslexia. Sharon Quirk-Silva, a California assemblymember who launched the cursive invoice within the state, stated she's additionally heard anecdotal proof that cursive could be therapeutic for college students with particular wants.

Since Quirk-Silva's 2023 cursive mandate, she stated the reception from constituents has been overwhelmingly constructive.

Datchuk, the College of Iowa professor, stated he receives a relentless stream of emails from folks asking about cursive, however his purpose for finding out the method was private — his 8-year-old son, who's studying Harry Potter, nonetheless passes his grandmother's birthday playing cards to his dad to learn.

"That brings up the bigger generational divide that is in all probability occurred not solely with my sons, however with children and younger adults throughout the US who simply by no means obtained instruction in cursive," Datchuk, a former elementary faculty trainer, stated.

Antonio Benavides, an 11-year-old in Kenerson's cursive membership, is an instance of that divide. His dad heard concerning the membership and instantly despatched Antonio.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2Fc0%2F35729fa64c67966b065749b8d376%2Farl-020526-15.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2Fc0%2F35729fa64c67966b065749b8d376%2Farl-020526-15.JPG" class="img" alt="Antonio Benavides says his penmanship has improved since joining Cursive Club." loading="lazy"/> Antonio Benavides says his penmanship has improved since becoming a member of cursive membership. Anna Rose Layden for NPR disguise caption

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Anna Rose Layden for NPR Now, he sticks his tongue out and stares intently on the loops in entrance of him. He enjoys practising the curves, and he stated his usually sprawling print penmanship has improved.

"I am like, 'Are you kidding me, cursive membership, what do I want that for?'" Benavides remembered telling his dad. However now, "Yeah, I prefer it," he stated.

When there is a second of silence as the scholars apply their i's and t's, Antonio whispers, "I really like that sound."

"The sound of a pencil when it is silent is simply so good," he defined.

Steve Graham, the Regents Professor at Arizona State College's School for Instructing and Studying Innovation, argues that regardless of the media consideration, cursive by no means actually went wherever. Graham, who has authored quite a few books about writing, stated he has been listening to concerning the "loss of life of handwriting or the loss of life of cursive" for about 50 years. At one level, his responses to questions from reporters turned "snarky," he stated.

"I would say, 'Effectively, rattling, I did not hear it was buried,'" Graham stated. "Are you able to inform me the place? I would like to go to the grave."

Graham is ambivalent about whether or not cursive or print is a more practical software for college students. He stated he thinks the fixation on cursive is an grownup phenomenon.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F93%2Fc3%2Ff55bb4a04fd7b8737da498c8eea5%2Farl-020526-26.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F93%2Fc3%2Ff55bb4a04fd7b8737da498c8eea5%2Farl-020526-26.JPG" class="img" alt="Teacher Sherisse Kenerson speaks to students during after-school Cursive Club at Holmes Middle School in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Kenerson began the membership after she realized college students couldn't learn her cursive handwriting on the board. Anna Rose Layden for NPR disguise caption

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Anna Rose Layden for NPR "I am typically amazed at how a lot consideration it will get," Graham stated. With extra research, Graham stated he thinks the variations in advantages between the 2 varieties of handwriting might be insignificant. He stated what's extra essential is spending the time to show children to put in writing.

Again in Kenerson's cursive membership, 11-year-old Conrad Thompson stated she's the one scholar in her historical past class who can learn her trainer's enormous Declaration of Independence printout. It makes her proud.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb9%2F885944e54205a0f4780fd0938a24%2Farl-020526-11.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb9%2F885944e54205a0f4780fd0938a24%2Farl-020526-11.JPG" class="img" alt="Conrad Thompson writes during after-school Cursive Club, held by teacher Sherisse Kenerson, at Holmes Middle School in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Conrad Thompson is pleased with her cursive expertise. Anna Rose Layden for NPR disguise caption

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Anna Rose Layden for NPR "Hopefully, sooner or later, me and my household will get to go see it in particular person," Conrad stated.

As for Sandi and Halle, the pair don't have any doubts about their newfound talent.

"Will you be again subsequent week?" Halle requested Sandi concerning the after-school membership.

"In fact I'll," Sandi responded.

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