Recently the Seattle Times published an article about handwriting and about one lawmaker’s efforts to mandate cursive writing instruction in our public schools. Does anyone write  in cursive in the 21^st Century?  It’s an interesting question to be sure but the reason it caught our eyes is that Mary Schaff, one of the State Library’s reference librarians is quoted in the article.

As a librarian who specializes in issues pertaining to Washington State, Mary contributed research as to whether or not Washington has ever had a law mandating the teaching of cursive writing.   When asked about this topic,  Mary said “Our state publications collection and the session law are invaluable to this type of state history question.” Mary’s research revealed that it is RCW 28A.230.020, Washington’s Common School Curriculum, which mandates the instruction of handwriting. She noted  “Interestingly, the last update to the Common School Curriculum in 2013 was the change from “penmanship” to “handwriting.” Even with that recent change, the idea of penmanship has appeared in every version of the Common School Curriculum Law since 1890.  The State Library has several curriculum guides in its collection published by the State Board of Education, including a 1891 Teachers’ Manual which says, “We do not care by what system a good hand-writing is acquired, only that there shall be some system about it.”   It appears that the real issue at stake, at least from the state’s viewpoint, is how handwriting is defined, and whether cursive writing has any real place in that curriculum any longer.

The point of all this is to say: when you have a difficult question about Washington State’s government, history, or culture keep the State Library’s reference team in mind.  You can ask questions in person, via mail, email, chat or telephone.