Illinois Schools No Longer Teach This To Kids

School curriculums throughout the United States along with Illinois included cursive handwriting as an essential element. Schools have phased out cursive writing from their instruction programs during the last several years. Some states have made efforts to reintroduce cursive writing instruction while the general movement across the nation shows a decline in teaching this skill. Public education systems have phased out cursive instruction for several key reasons.

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The Shift Toward Digital Learning
Technology has brought about major transformations in student learning methods and communication practices. The emergence of computers, tablets and smartphones has made typing a more essential skill than handwriting. Educational institutions are emphasizing digital literacy by teaching students how to use word processing software and online communication tools instead of teaching them cursive writing.

Changing Educational Priorities
Educators concentrate on teaching skills that meet today's requirements because schools need to teach many subjects and have only limited instructional time. Educational systems prioritize subjects such as math, science, reading comprehension, and computer literacy above teaching cursive handwriting. Curriculums shaped by standardized testing typically exclude substantial cursive instruction components.

Illinois' Approach to Cursive Instruction
The state of Illinois took cursive off school curriculums temporarily before the 2017 legislation required schools to teach cursive writing once again. The educational mandate exists yet schools frequently allocate less instructional time to cursive than to other subjects. The decision to bring back cursive in Illinois distinguishes it as an exception because other states have not adopted similar measures which results in cursive remaining scarcely taught across the country.

The Decline of Practical Use
In everyday life, people rarely use cursive. Print is the standard format for most official documents as well as books and online content. The ability of students to sign their names without cursive instruction leads many teachers to believe it lacks educational importance.

States such as Illinois have implemented measures to maintain cursive instruction yet the national pattern shows a decreasing emphasis on cursive as education and technology advance.