Cursive Handwriting Instruction Declining

The New York Times (4/28, Zezima, Subscription Publication) reports on the "gradual death" of cursive handwriting, as "computer keyboards and smartphones [are] increasingly occupying young fingers." The piece asks if failing to learn cursive limits students motor skills and blocks access to "historical documents like the Constitution." "Students nationwide are still taught cursive, but many school districts are spending far less time teaching it and handwriting in general than they were years ago, said Steve Graham, a professor of education at Vanderbilt University." However, increased focus on standardized test preparation limits the time available to teach handwriting.