Elementary education in the context of Primary school

Block letters (known as printscript, manuscript, print writing, printing or ball and stick in academics) are a sans-serif (or "gothic") style of writing Latin script in which the letters are individual glyphs, with no joining.

Elementary education in English-speaking countries typically introduces children to the literacy of handwriting using a method of block letters (commonly referred to as manuscript by educators), which may later advance to cursive (joined) penmanship. The policy of teaching cursive in American elementary schools has varied over time, from strict endorsement such as the Palmer method in the early 20th century, to removal by Common Core in 2010, to being reinstated.

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the Bureau of Indian Education, and five U.S. territories.

The council's areas of focus are education workforce; information systems and research; next generation learners; and standards, assessment, and accountability. One of its nationally recognized projects is the National Teacher of the Year award. Other efforts include the "Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium" (est. 1987). Recent initiatives include a "Shared Learning Collaborative" (est. 2011); and an "Innovation Lab Network" of states, "to assess skills expected by the Common Core."