THEN AND NOW: 6 classes US public schools rarely offer anymore — and what they've been replaced with
Fred Morley/Fox Photos/Getty Images, Coqui the Chef/Flickr
Just as back-to-school fashions go in and out of style, different classes offered in schools rise and decline in popularity over the years. The basics like math, science, and language arts aren't going anywhere, but other parts of school curricula continue to adapt to changing technologies and student needs.
Here are six once-popular classes and school activities that aren't usually offered anymore in the US — and what they've been replaced with.
Cursive handwriting is no longer necessary.
Bob Bird/AP
Public schools are increasingly dropping cursive from their curricula, citing the prevalence of laptops, tablets, and textual communication.
With computer-based writing exams as part of the Common Core curriculum, typing quickly and accurately is becoming more important than writing in neat script.
Ty Wright/AP
In 2011, the writing test of the National Assessment of Educational Progress required eighth and 11th graders to use computers, with fourth graders to follow in 2019, according to the Associated Press.
"Cursive writing is a traditional skill that has been replaced with technology," Michael Hairston, president of the Fairfax Education Association, told The Washington Post.
In the 1950s, home economics class used to teach girls how to be homemakers with skills like sewing, cooking, and household management.
Fred Morley/Fox Photos/Getty Images
The name was officially changed to "Family and Consumer Services" in 1994 in an effort to rebrand the class as teaching basic life skills irrespective of gender.
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