In a time of ever-growing digital encroachment, the issue of handwriting education can be a matter of contention in educational, pedagogical, and typographical circles. From the advantages students may gain from learning to write by hand to the most effective models and methods to teach handwriting, there is little that has not been debated. But the experience of handwriting education in primary schools around the world is not one-size-fits-all; there is great diversity in how handwriting is taught, and approaches to it are constantly evolving.

In early 2022, researchers at independent type foundry TypeTogether began a groundbreaking research project to examine the state of Latin script-based handwriting education in primary schools in over 40 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The end result will be to create a free, public resource for the typographic and educational communities. This presentation will provide a snapshot of our ongoing research, marking the beginning of our efforts to share our learning with a wide audience.