KANSAS CITY - To many, cursive writing is an art form of a bygone era, but legislators in Missouri hope to bring it back.
House Bills 346 and 375, sponsored by State Representatives Renne Reuter and Peggy McGaugh, aim to make learning the handwriting technique a requirement. If passed, Missouri schools would have to teach students the skill and test them on it by the end of 5th grade.
Cursive writing is currently part of the required curriculum in fewer than half of US states. Should these bills pass, and be signed by the governor, Missouri would join those ranks.
Recently, the National Archives sent out an all-call to anyone who can read the handwriting style in hopes of getting volunteers to transcribe and digitize historical documents, largely written in cursive.
The Archives digital manager called the skill a superpower, highlighting how few Americans possess the skill in 2025.