Learning Cursive Is Back in Some Schools

Older generations are regularly appalled to discover kids don't loop their letters anymore, but the Golden State is about to buck that trend. California Gov Gavin Newsom signed a bill last week that requires students in first through sixth grade to learn cursive handwriting, reports the Hill. The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, a former schoolteacher. "A lot of the historical documents going back two or three decades are actually in cursive," she tells the Sacramento Bee. "I went on 23andMe looking for some family records and they were all written in cursive."

A 2022 report from the National Education Association counted 21 states that required cursive instruction, and many span the South, per CNN, including Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. But not everyone has faith that cursive is back. Outdoor outfitter Eddie Bauer redesigned its logo, previously in script, to bold, capitalized block letters alongside a goose. The brand plans to roll it out fully on all products by 2024. "A big part of what I'm going to need to do here is reintroduce this great heritage brand to the next generation," CEO Tim Bantle tells FastCompany. "And kids don't even learn to read cursive in school anymore." Not true in California, but we get it. (More handwriting stories).