Stacy Webb, a senior secondary education major, was invited by Sen. Jean Leising on Senate Bill 73.

Indiana University East student Stacy Webb presented her findings on cursive writing before the Indiana Senate at the invitation of Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg. Webb addressed the Senate during a hearing of Sen. Leising’s bill, Senate Bill 73, requiring public and non-public elementary schools to include cursive writing and reading in their curriculum beginning July 1, 2016. The bill would reverse the 2011 decision by the Department of Education that made cursive writing instruction optional.

Sen. Leising invited Webb to present her research on cursive writing and its benefits to students to the Senate on January 6. Webb also answered questions from the senators. The third reading of Senate Bill 73 passed on January 21 and the bill has been referred to the Indiana House of Representatives. The bill is now eligible for a hearing before the House’s Committee on Education.

As an elementary education major at IU East, Webb researched cursive writing for a class paper. Her instructor, Associate Professor of Education Maureen Scane, encouraged Webb to email Leising a copy of her research paper and presentation. The initiative led to Webb’s invitation to present before the Senate.

“Senator Leising knew that I was passionate about this issue and that I was excited to talk about it,” Webb said.

Scane, now retired, said Webb is an outstanding student and a promising future teacher.

“Her argumentative essay supporting cursive writing was extremely well researched and written with the passion that Stacy exhibits in everything she does. As an advocate for educational excellence, I was so pleased that she had the opportunity to be a voice for pre-service and practicing teachers at the state level. I am confident that her testimony in support of cursive writing before Indiana’s Senate was convincing because of her ability to communicate her passion to do what is best for our students at all levels.”

Webb, of Eaton, Ohio, is currently student teaching in English for grades 10 and 11 at Richmond Community Schools in Richmond, Ind. Previously, Webb received her Bachelor of Arts in English and an associate degree in Liberal studies from IU East and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education. Now a senior, Webb plans to graduate this May. Once she receives her diploma, she will be a certified teacher in the State of Indiana.

Webb said while some may debate the value of cursive writing as a part of the teaching curriculum, it is an important skill for children to have. Webb discussed many of the benefits of cursive writing for young learners as found through her research.

“Cursive writing is viewed by some as ‘outmoded’ or a ‘horse and buggy’ style of communication that is unnecessary in an increasingly digital age.  However, I disagree. There are solid reasons to have cursive writing instruction in our curriculum,” Webb said. “Cursive helps people integrate knowledge. So much of our academic focus in schools today is to help students gain enough mastery of a subject to answer test questions; we should be focusing on building skills. Cursive writing helps integrate visual and tactile information with fine motor skills.”

Previously, the bill has gone before the Senate and received approval but has not passed the House of Representatives. According to information included in the bill, beginning in the fall of 2011, the state removed the requirement that cursive writing be taught in schools as part of the new Indiana Education Standards. It is the recommendation of the Indiana Department of Education that cursive writing be taught in grades 3-4 so students can use cursive writing if it is more appropriate and because of the importance of students being able to read documents written in cursive. Approximately seven states require cursive writing as part of their curriculum, according to the bill.

While talking before the Senate, Webb added that there is a direct relationship between the quality of handwriting and the written text. “When a student lacks fluency in handwriting, they have difficulty composing texts,” Webb said. “Handwriting is still the most immediate form of graphic communication in schools. No other task in school requires as much synchronization as handwriting, because it uses more of your brain. It involves integrated thinking, movement, and sensation.”

In addition, cursive writing is a link to the past. Historic documents are in cursive writing.

“When we choose to stop teaching cursive writing, we have lost the ability to interpret valuable cultural resources, such as historical documents and ancestor’s letters and journals. Cursive handwriting forges a link between the present and the past, and if children cannot read and write cursively, they have lost a valuable connection to history,” Webb said.

School of Education Dean Jerry Wilde said, “It’s not every day we have a student who has an opportunity like this so we are extremely proud of Stacy.  From the first day Stacy arrived in the School of Education, she has always given her very best effort.  She will be an outstanding teacher for years to come.”