Mission

Since its creation, the Margaret Byrd Rawson Institute (MBRI), a nonprofit organization, stands out in its dedication to ensuring every child has access to proper language education. We strive to achieve our mission of providing parent and teacher education using Orton-Gillingham Academy-approved methods through our unique educational programs and resources. Our distinctive mission ensures that every child, regardless of learning style or socioeconomic status, can access the fundamentals of language acquisition. Literacy, the cornerstone of effective communication and understanding, should be a fundamental right for all children. 

History

For over sixty years, Margaret Rawson championed the need to mainstream the Orton-Gillingham instructional approach for teaching students with dyslexia in the public school curriculum. Unfortunately, then and now, teaching offered through our public school system often stigmatizes children with dyslexia rather than providing them with an adequate education. 

For years, Margret spoke of the ‘great need for more competently educated teachers who can meet the needs of those with specific language learning differences.’ To this day, colleges still need to embrace teacher preparation reform fully and align themselves properly with the science of reading. Today, not only are children with dyslexia not being taught properly, but even those without learning differences. We now have several generations of teachers who never learned the fundamentals required to teach foundational reading instruction. 

In 2001, Margaret and a dedicated group of parents and educators from Frederick County, Maryland, united under a shared vision to create an educational institute for parents and teachers. MBRI serves as a long-overdue vehicle to bring Margaret’s dream to fruition by disseminating the science behind reading with the art and craft of teaching. 

MBRI Logo Ribbon

The Margaret Byrd Rawson Institute uses the symbol of the six-crossing knot to represent our unique mission. A picture of a Roman bas-relief from the third century A.D. that hung in Margaret’s home inspired our logo symbol. Incredibly, scientists have observed identical knot formations in images of DNA structure. DNA carries the specific genetic markers that make us uniquely individual and shape our learning styles. A heart is visible when the knot is inverted, symbolizing our dedication and love for students, parents, and teachers.