Gov. Greg Abbott told delegates at the 2026 Texas Republican Party Convention on Friday that Texas will push to return phonics and cursive writing to classrooms.
The remarks came during his address at the George R. Brown Convention Center as the convention, running June 11–13, focused on education priorities.
In His Own Words: Abbott on Strengthening Texas Classrooms
Specifically as it relates to education, Abbott shared the following on Friday:
“We delivered the largest day-one school choice program in the history of the United States of America.”
“Texas ranks number one in more categories than we can count. I say it’s time we add another number one to our agenda: Texas must be number one in educating our children.”
“We know that if we’re going to educate our children, we have got to hire and retain the best teachers. And we took a milestone step toward that when we passed the largest teacher pay raise ever in the history of the state of Texas this last session.”
“Even if our kids have access to the best teachers, we know that we have to improve the curriculum for our children to truly learn. And that’s why we are redoubling our efforts on reading, writing, math, and science.”
“And, yes, we’re returning to phonics in the classroom, cursive writing in the classroom.”
“And we are expanding civics education in public schools once again.”
“I signed a law banning DEI in public schools across Texas.”
Phonics and Cursive in Texas Schools: History, Reinstatement, and Benefits
Phonics, which teaches the relationship between sounds and letters, saw reduced emphasis in some districts during the late 20th century with the rise of whole-language approaches. Texas moved back toward systematic phonics through laws such as House Bill 3 in 2019, which requires kindergarten through third-grade teachers and principals to complete Texas Reading Academies focused on the science of teaching reading.
Cursive writing was de-emphasized in many Texas districts following the adoption of Common Core standards around 2010 in various states, which did not require it and prioritized keyboarding. The Texas State Board of Education reinstated cursive in the 2017 TEKS updates, effective for the 2019–2020 school year. Students now begin cursive instruction in second grade, with continued requirements through fifth grade.
Research in education studies links systematic phonics instruction to improved reading outcomes, particularly in word decoding. Benefits of cursive include support for fine motor skills, memory retention, and the ability to read historical documents. Studies, such as those from Université de Montréal, indicate that cursive practice can aid the development of spelling and syntax.
Texas, like many states, has seen generations affected by curriculum shifts. Students educated primarily after 2010 in districts that dropped cursive may lack proficiency, impacting an estimated portion of those now in high school and college. Proponents note that restoring these skills helps address gaps in future academic and practical needs.
The Texas GOP Convention platform and Abbott’s address reflect continued focus on K-12 education standards. Implementation of enhanced phonics and cursive remains governed by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and local districts under state oversight.
