Opinion
Curriculum Letter to the Editor

Handwriting Is Still Alive and Well

February 21, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Head of School The Windward School

The article “Experts Fear Handwriting Will Become a Lost Art,” (Jan. 25, 2012) reported that while experts fear handwriting is becoming a lost art, a summit was held in Washington, D.C., to make a case for teaching handwriting. This is not the first time that handwriting has been given up for dead.

In the Feb. 13, 2009, issue of Newsweek, an article titled “The Curse of Cursive” predicted the doom of writing in longhand: “Penmanship, like hieroglyphics and the IBM Selectric, has lost its purpose. Let’s erase it for good.” Another piece, “The Handwriting Is on the Wall,” published in 2006 in The Washington Post‘s Higher Education blog, claims that many teachers are not concerned about the drop in the use of cursive, while scholars point to research that shows children without proficient handwriting skills produce simpler, shorter compositions.

With populist outcries for doing away with cursive and with apparent teacher apathy toward its demise, it is time to examine the evidence that supports the teaching of handwriting in our schools.

Unfortunately, students are receiving less and less instruction in handwriting. Vanderbilt University professor Steve Graham found in 2003 that primary grade teachers spent less than 10 minutes a day on handwriting. He found the decline in the instruction of handwriting and its diminished use by students is not because handwriting has lost its purpose; it is due to a lack of teacher preparation, as a majority of teachers admitted they had no training and no curriculum materials for it.

To paraphrase Mark Twain: Reports of the death of handwriting are exaggerations. Handwriting is alive and well at my school and others where instructional practice is informed by the research and supported by a comprehensive professional-development program that includes strategies for teaching handwriting. There is clear evidence that handwriting is an important tool in the acquisition of reading and writing skills and should be part of every language arts program.

John J. Russell

Head of School

The Windward School

White Plains, N.Y.

A version of this article appeared in the February 22, 2012 edition of Education Week as Handwriting Is Still Alive and Well

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Literacy Success: How Districts Are Closing Reading Gaps Fast
67% of 4th graders read below grade level. Learn how high-dosage virtual tutoring is closing the reading gap in schools across the country.
Content provided by Ignite Reading
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by Boys Town

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum Opinion There’s a Better Way to Teach Digital Citizenship
Many popular resources for digital-citizenship education only focus on good online behavior. That’s a problem.
Alexandra Thrall & T. Philip Nichols
5 min read
digital citizenship computer phone 1271520062
solarseven/iStock/Getty
Curriculum Letter to the Editor Christian Nationalism vs. Spirituality in America’s Schools
A retired teacher responds to the Oklahoma state schools superintendent's guidance on teaching the Bible in public schools in the state.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Curriculum How Oklahoma's Superintendent Wants Schools to Teach the Bible
Oklahoma's state superintendent directed schools to teach the Bible and to place a copy in every classroom.
4 min read
A hand holding a magnifying glass hovers over a Bible opened to the Ten Commandments.
Marinela Malcheva/iStock/Getty
Curriculum Should the Bible Be Taught in Public Schools?
Are recent pushes to include the Bible about cultural literacy—or a pretext for politicians who want Christianity in public schools?
10 min read
bible lying on a school desk with a lesson plan and calendar
tamaw/E+