The Lowcountry Literacy Project and Charleston County School District (CCSD) have announced a joint initiative to expand literacy support in Title I schools. The partnership will bring Orton-Gillingham training and yearlong coaching support to two of CCSD’s Elevation Schools during the 2025–26 academic year: Matilda F. Dunston Elementary and Ladson Elementary.
Last school year, the Lowcountry Literacy Project supported 45 classrooms. This fall, the organization will add 31 new classrooms, bringing the total to 76 classrooms receiving support.
This expansion marks a milestone in the organization’s mission. The partnership will provide educators across both schools with Orton-Gillingham professional development and embedded coaching—one of several strategies CCSD is using to strengthen Tier 1 instruction and targeted interventions.
A multi-year implementation plan has been designed for each school in collaboration with leadership, aligning with CCSD’s ELA curriculum and tailored to readiness levels. Training will begin in August for all Tier 1 classroom teachers, reading interventionists and special education staff, ensuring a consistent, schoolwide approach to literacy instruction.
“Our goal has always been to transform literacy outcomes by equipping teachers with the tools they need,” said Lindsey Ballenger, executive director of the Lowcountry Literacy Project. “This partnership represents an important step forward—working alongside CCSD’s broader literacy efforts to support the students who need it most.”
Both Dunston and Ladson elementary schools were selected for their strong commitment to this initiative. Each will participate in a two- to three-year phased implementation process, ensuring teachers receive ongoing support to translate training into measurable gains for students.
The partnership builds on results from James B. Edwards Elementary, Jennie Moore Elementary and St. Andrew’s School of Math and Science, where Orton-Gillingham–trained educators have seen improvements in decoding, comprehension and student confidence. At these schools, data show that classrooms led by OG-trained teachers achieved twice as much overall growth on iReady compared to other classrooms in the same school. Just as importantly, as more teachers were trained over a three-year period, long-standing achievement gaps began to close—shrinking by nearly 40% for vulnerable student populations.
“This partnership complements CCSD’s existing literacy initiatives by adding another powerful tool to our comprehensive strategy for reading success, and we are excited to work with the Lowcountry Literacy Project to bring this training to our Elevation Schools,” said Anita Huggins, superintendent of CCSD.
In addition to CCSD’s investment, the Lowcountry Literacy Project is raising philanthropic funds to supplement the initiative, ensuring high-fidelity implementation with ongoing coaching and specialized support—costs covered by generous community partners.
The Lowcountry Literacy Project is a Charleston-based nonprofit that partners with schools, districts and teachers to close opportunity gaps and improve reading outcomes—one classroom at a time.
For more information or to support this initiative, visit www.LowcountryLiteracyProject.org.