Schools Cutting Cursive as Computers Prevail

Penmanship takes a backseat to science, reading instruction
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 26, 2009 4:50 PM CST
Schools Cutting Cursive as Computers Prevail
Baltimore students work together on a math problem while substitute teacher Amon Carter, far back, teaches the class, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, in Baltimore.   (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

Cursive may become a thing of the past as schools pressed for time focus their attention on science and reading, the Indianapolis Star reports. Cursive is still widely taught, but the emphasis has shifted from writing beautifully to writing efficiently as wider use of computers has also edged out cursive’s traditional role.

"When I was in junior high and high school,” says one Indianapolis teacher, “our final copies of work had to be handwritten in cursive. Now it's typed." The declining use of cursive in the world outside of school adds to the difficulty of teaching it, Jones says: “they can't read it, because they don't see it anywhere."
(More school stories.)

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