New Jersey public elementary school students will once again be required to learn cursive handwriting after Governor Phil Murphy signed new legislation mandating instruction for grades three through five. The bill, S1783/A3865, was signed as one of Governor Murphy’s final acts in office and will take effect in the upcoming school year.
The law requires public school districts statewide to incorporate cursive handwriting into their curricula, reversing a decline that began after the Common Core State Standards were adopted in 2010. Those standards did not include cursive, prompting many states, including New Jersey, to drop formal instruction.
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Governor Murphy linked the change to both practical skills and historical literacy. In a statement, he emphasized that cursive instruction gives students the ability to “read our nation’s founding documents” and equips them for everyday tasks such as signing checks. He added that the state owes students “a well-rounded education that ensures they have the tools to fully understand our rich history and become competent leaders.”
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Education officials highlighted that initiative. State Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer noted that the legislation “prepares students for real-world tasks, helps them connect with historical texts, and complements other learning.”
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The measure received strong support from Democratic sponsors. Assemblywoman Shanique Speight remarked it is hard to imagine students graduating without reading or writing cursive, while Assemblywoman Rosaura Bagolie pointed out that handwriting engages neural pathways linked to memory and attention.
New Jersey joins roughly two dozen states that have reinstated cursive requirements, reflecting a broader national reconsideration of handwriting’s role in modern education.
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