The Wisconsin State Assembly today advanced several different pieces of education-related legislation.
The Assembly adopted Assembly Bill 435, incorporating cursive into the state model English language arts standards, requiring cursive writing in elementary grades. Experts believe cursive writing trains the brain to integrate visual and tactile information and fine motor dexterity.
Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) coauthored Assembly Bills AB 411, and 413, dealing with race and sex stereotyping in schools and state universities and technical colleges.
“If the opponents want an honest conversation about systemic racism, then curriculum would address the systemic racism of teacher’s unions, and their radical opposition to school choice,” said Rep. Allen. “Racism keeps kids in failing schools, indoctrinates kids to resent others based on skin color, and fails to teach them reading, writing, and arithmetic.”
AB 488 requires school boards to make information about learning materials and educational materials available to the public. “Curriculum transparency should not be controversial,” said Rep. Allen. “If the material is worthy of being taught, it should be shared with parents.”
Those bills now advance to the State Senate.
The Assembly also concurred in Senate Bill 373, which makes school district and school financial information more readily available to the public. The bill’s goal is to make a user-friendly, online school expenditure portal which readily shows where taxpayer money is going. Rep. Allen cosponsored the proposal. That bill now goes to the governor’s desk.
