Penmanship takes a back seat in many elementary schools

By Eileen Putman, ASSOCIATED PRESS , July 11, 2007

WASHINGTON – John Hancock wouldn't recognize the handwriting taught in many schools today. And his loopy slanted script might as well be a foreign language to 21st century students.
Time and technology have largely done away with traditional penmanship, leaving schools with a challenge that mirrors today's fast pace: how to teach a cursive style that's faster to write than older, ornate methods and easily readable.
The reality in many schools is that handwriting instruction has slid far down the list of education priorities. Many teachers have all they can do to ready students for standardized tests and requirements for core courses like math, science and reading.
“The printing and cursive are taking more of a back seat,” said Barbara Willer, deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Why teach cursive at all when computers and keyboards are so prevalent? For one thing, younger children may not have the skills to fully learn keyboarding, and not all classrooms have computers. Handwriting is how young students express themselves and develop as learners, said Steve Graham, special education professor at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College in Nashville, Tenn. Unfortunately, some who have trouble with writing mechanics have problems with other language arts skills.