Now Hiring for the 26-27 School-Year! School-Based OT, PT, & SLP Careers: Join Our Team
After more than a decade of declining handwriting instruction, Pennsylvania has officially brought cursive back into the classroom. In February 2026, state leaders enacted legislation requiring cursive handwriting to be taught in public and private schools across the Commonwealth.
While the decision has sparked conversation among educators and parents, it also brings renewed attention to an often-overlooked area of development: fine motor and handwriting skills.
For school-based occupational therapists, this shift reinforces the importance of their work in helping students build the foundational skills needed for written communication.
The new law requires schools to include cursive handwriting or joined italics within the writing curriculum for students. Lawmakers cited research showing that handwriting supports brain development, coordination, and memory retention.
Beyond academic benefits, cursive literacy also allows students to read historical documents written in script and develop the ability to produce a handwritten signature, both skills that remain relevant throughout adulthood.
Learning cursive is not simply about style or tradition. It involves complex motor and cognitive processes that strengthen a student’s ability to:
These developmental areas closely align with the expertise of occupational therapists in school settings.
School-based occupational therapists frequently support students who experience difficulty with handwriting tasks. Challenges may stem from:
As cursive instruction becomes more common again, occupational therapists may see increased opportunities to support both students and teachers in developing effective handwriting instruction strategies.
For some students, cursive can provide advantages compared to print writing.
Because cursive letters are connected, students may experience:
These factors can make cursive a helpful alternative writing method for certain learners.
The return of cursive instruction also presents an opportunity for greater collaboration between educators and related service providers. Occupational therapists can partner with teachers to:
By combining strong instructional practices with therapeutic expertise, schools can ensure students build the foundational motor skills necessary for academic success.
As Pennsylvania schools implement this new handwriting requirement, occupational therapists will continue to play an important role in helping students develop effective and efficient writing skills.
While technology remains a major part of education, the return of cursive highlights an important truth: the physical act of writing still plays a meaningful role in how students learn, communicate, and engage with the world around them!