I know that varies by region, but schoolchildren are generally taught cursive as a faster way to write. It already requires some memorisation with some glyphs being different from block letters. Why not make an additional step and completely replace it with shorthand, making writing an order of magnitude faster?
In the sense that any deliberate sustained effort improves a person in some way I agree, but it’s almost certainly not going to be practical unless you’re going into a field that requires reading cursive for some reason. Making it a standard part of every education just doesn’t make sense anymore.
I think learning to read is just one benefit. As others mentioned, hand eye coordination is another big factor. I’m not opposed to not teaching it, just listing some benefits of doing so.