Is learning cursive writing essential for developing young minds, or is it an outdated skill being championed by nostalgic policymakers? The question sparked a lively and personal debate on a recent ...

Studies find many elementary school teachers have had little-to-no preparation in how to effectively teach handwriting, and a University of Iowa special education professor has developed a free tool ...

(The Conversation) – Recently, my 8-year-old son received a birthday card from his grandmother. He opened the card, looked at it and said, “I can’t read cursive yet.” Then he handed it to me to read.

Nearly 40 years later, the admonishments of my second-grade teacher at Thomas Jefferson Elementary in Anaheim still ring in my ears. “Messy! Messy!” I was a precocious 8-year-old, placed in a ...

COMPTON, Calif.—In a classroom at Anderson Elementary on a recent Thursday, third-graders lined up to have their pencils sharpened to a crisp point before beginning a cursive lesson. The students put ...

Imagine a time when children can’t read historical documents. Young adults can barely conjure a driver’s license signature. And even some elementary school teachers confess they don’t know how to ...

Shawn Datchuk is an associate professor of special education at the University of Iowa. This essay from The Conversation is republished under a Creative Commons license. Recently, my 8-year-old son ...