Pennsylvania schoolchildren would have to learn how to write in cursive under a new bill passed by the state House of Representatives earlier this week.
House Bill 17, introduced by Rep. Dane Watro, Kline Township Republican, passed Tuesday with a 195-8 vote and has been moved to the state Senate for further consideration.
The bill amends a 1949 law and says that as part of learning how to write should be taught “print, joined italics and cursive handwriting.”
In a memo to other legislators last year, Mr. Watro said that learning cursive “activates areas of the brain involved in executive function, fine motor skills, and working memory” and helps “reinforce neural connections and build hand-eye coordination in developing brains.”
In addition, Mr. Watro said that research indicated that children who learn cursive may be better at learning foreign languages, recalling information and being creative.
He also cited signatures and reading historical documents as reasons to mandate cursive, and pointed out that 24 other states already have laws that require kids to learn cursive.
