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Spelling knowledge and the ability to read cursive handwriting are crucial for democracy.

Evidence shows that many middle graders lack these crucial skills.

Poor spelling skills often predict poor reading scores and low literacy levels.

Many parents and teachers made a shocking discovery during the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. When cursive print versions of the Declaration of Independence flashed on the TV screen, on a magazine or newspaper cover, or were posted in the classroom, many middle schoolers couldn’t read it. When asked to read the preamble to the Declaration of Independence on a trip to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, one academically successful 11-year-old startled his parents when he said, “I can’t read that kind of writing. We never learned it in school.”

Parents and teachers of late elementary and middle school 11- to 15-year-olds are bewildered when they have to read their child’s birthday card from a grandparent to the child because the grandparent wrote the card in cursive and the child can’t read it. They are distressed that the child can’t send a handwritten thank you note or write or read a handwritten grocery list.

The most alarming news is that it’s not just the lack of cursive writing. According to the most recent National Center for Education Statistics and the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nation’s report card, nearly 70% of eighth graders lack proficient literacy skills including spelling (NAEP Report Card: Reading 2025).

Why Lack of Spelling Knowledge Undermines Literacy

This lack of spelling knowledge may be the root cause of the problem; one has to have spelling knowledge in the brain to activate the brain’s literacy circuits. Renowned French neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene, who has used........

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