Just how far should the Indiana Legislature go in dictating to Indiana schools what they must teach? The Legislature has been trying for several years to convince a majority of members to require all school districts to teach cursive wiring, once a stable of public education. But so dominant has keyboard writing become in Indiana classrooms — and really, to our personal lives — that strict cursive handwriting for most has become a secondary thought.
Most of us who do handwriting use a combination of printing and cursive, as do our children, thanks to our use of digital writing devices such as computers and smartphones. That is why, in 2010 the Indiana State Board of Education made cursive writing optional for most districts. And no, this has nothing to do with the controversial Common Core State Standards. The state board decided simply to leave it up to local school districts to decide whether or not to teach cursive writing in their classrooms. That is as it should be.
Alas, some lawmakers again this year are attempting to make it mandatory that cursive be taught in all Indiana schools, whether or not local officials believe they needed it. Allow local school officials to best use their classroom time.
The legislation has passed the Indiana Senate and is now with the House, where it should stay.
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