Teacher Training and Professional Development
Equipping teachers with Orton-Gillingham training to ensure students receive evidence-based instruction backed by current research that directly addresses their literacy needs.
Year-Long Coaching
Provide students with continuous, high-quality support by offering teachers ongoing coaching, classroom feedback, and mentorship, ensuring consistent and effective implementation of literacy strategies that meet individual student needs.
Evaluation of Impact
Regularly collect and analyze data to track student progress, ensuring continuous program refinement to meet the evolving literacy needs of every student. Leverage these insights to drive systemic and policy changes that expand equitable access to evidence-based literacy instruction, direct resources to underserved communities, and shape legislative efforts supporting early intervention and educator training.
OG Charleston is creating access to Orton-Gillingham with the launch of The Lowcountry Literacy Project. As the funding force behind this grassroots initiative, we aim to transform public school education by aligning it with the Science of Reading, using the evidence-based Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach.
A Focus on the Science of Reading
The Science of Reading is a comprehensive, research-backed body of knowledge that provides clear, effective methods for teaching children how to read. This approach is grounded in decades of cognitive science, neuroscience, and education research. By adopting these principles, schools can help all students—especially those struggling with reading—develop the foundational skills needed for literacy success.
Why Orton-Gillingham?
The Orton-Gillingham approach is at the heart of The Lowcountry Literacy Project. It’s a structured, explicit, and multisensory approach to teaching reading that has been proven effective for students of all ages, particularly those with dyslexia or other learning differences. The OG method focuses on the direct teaching of phonics, spelling, and decoding skills through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pathways, making it accessible for diverse learners.
Empowering Teachers, Supporting Students
Through The Lowcountry Literacy Project, we work directly with teachers, providing them with professional development in the OG approach. Our goal is to empower teachers with the tools and strategies they need to help every student thrive. By integrating the OG approach into classroom instruction & in reading intervention, we ensure that all students receive high-quality, evidence-based literacy instruction.
Faculty Professional Development
A series for ALL teachers on dyslexia (which impacts 20% of students and accounts for 80% of learning disabilities), multi-sensory learning strategies, executive functioning skills, and phonemic awareness/phonology.
Join Us in Making a Difference
The Lowcountry Literacy Project is not just a program—it’s a movement. It’s a commitment to closing the literacy gap in our schools. Whether you’re an educator, parent, or community member, we invite you to be a part of this vital initiative. Together, we can build a stronger, more literate future for our children and equip them with the skills they need to succeed.
For more information on how you can get involved or support The Lowcountry Literacy Project, please contact us today.
A partner school is an educational ally that champions the Lowcountry Literacy Project and has agreed to a multi-year plan to prioritize OG teacher training and implementation.
Lowcountry Literacy Steering Committee
Lindsey Ballenger
Co-founder OGC
Catherine Hagberg
OGA Fellow | Director, Lowcountry Literacy Project
Beth Jacobs
Assistant Principal, Jennie Moore Elementary School
Susan Nyman
OGA Fellow
Renee McCaslin
Co-founder OGC
Jennie Garris
OGA Fellow-in-Training
Recognizing the need for high-quality literacy training beyond our partner schools, we will begin offering a multisensory structured literacy pathway for teachers in non-partner schools.
Professional Development
Providing the foundation for understanding and the why behind the science will allow a teacher to take any program or curriculum and successfully implement it with high-quality, effective instruction for all students.
Workshops can be customized, but can include:
- Dyslexia and the Struggling Reader
- Executive Functioning
- Multisensory Learning Strategies
- The Science of Reading and the Brain
Reach out today to discuss your faculty professional development goals. Lindsey@Ogcharleston.org
Transformational Teaching Moments:
“A 5th-grade teacher stopped me today to share how she already used some of the information/data presented in the professional development to help drive her instruction in class. Upon reflection, she realized that most of her day was spent lecturing and talking. Today, she worked to engage the Kinesthetic and Tactile instead of so much Visual and Auditory. She even brought in a couple of jump ropes from home for kids to use when they need to “fill their tank”. OGCC, thank you so much for funding these PD sessions.”
-Beth Jacobs, Assistant Principal, Jennie Moore Elementary