Cursive is making a comeback. But does it deserve one?

Photo credit: Photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston 1864-1952. Library of Congress Online Catalog. Digital ID cph 3b36952. No known restrictions on publication. Article by Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo. The Conversation – August 20, 2026.

Learning to read and write cursive was once a rite of passage for practically every American schoolchild. Until the early 20th century, children in the U.S. were generally taught to write in cursive or script, rather than the print writing typically taught to young children today. Some people at the time thought a person’s character could be evaluated based on the quality of their cursive. In the first half of the 20th century, penmanship was often taught as a distinct subject in American elementary schools, where children could spend as much as 45 minutes a day on handwriting instruction and practice. […]

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