By Kurt Brobeck
August 12 marked a significant milestone as the new Roberts Academy at Vanderbilt University opened its doors to 21 third- and fourth-grade students.
Currently in a temporary location on the Vanderbilt campus, the academy is designed to be a transitional school providing intensive reading intervention and elementary instruction for students with dyslexia and other academic needs.
The academy is led by Director Jared Clodfelter, EdD’22, who previously served as upper school division head of Nashville’s Currey Ingram Academy. Samantha Gesel, PhD’19, serves as the academy’s assistant director. Gesel also is a member of the faculty in the Vanderbilt Peabody College Department of Special Education.
“The inaugural year of Roberts Academy at Vanderbilt University has been better than we could have imagined. A tremendous amount of work from so many people went into making this happen, and seeing our students walk through those doors made it all worthwhile,” said Clodfelter. “Only a month into the school year, we’ve seen, and parents have reported, a change in our kids’ attitudes towards school: they’re feeling a sense of belonging at Roberts Academy, and this early into the school year, we couldn’t ask for any more.”
Peabody and Vanderbilt launched the Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center in fall 2023 thanks to a landmark gift from Hal and Marjorie Hollis Roberts of Lakeland, Florida. Early visitors to the academy have included Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Vice Chancellor Eric Kopstain, Board of Trust Member Steven Madden and his wife Kelly, along with Peabody faculty members and others.
An official celebration of the school’s opening is planned for October 16, when the Roberts family also will visit.
For its first year of operation, the academy’s teaching staff includes two third-grade teachers, one fourth-grade teacher, and two interventionists. This robust staff will undergird the academy’s highly individualized approach to education.
The academy’s literacy interventions are based on the Orton-Gillingham approach, a well-known and scientifically-based method for teaching children with dyslexia or other difficulties in reading.
Students in the Roberts Academy receive a complete elementary education curriculum including enrichment such as physical education at the Vanderbilt Recreation Center, music instruction from local musicians, and arts education via a partnership with Nashville Children’s Theatre.
Ashley Odom, one of the school’s parents, said, “It is a privilege to be a part of Roberts Academy. My son, Ashton loves his new school. He’s excited every day to attend. And as a family we see what a difference this opportunity has made for his confidence.”
The effort to open the school in its temporary location was demanding, involving the Department of Special Education, the Peabody Dean’s Office, Campus Planning and Construction and others who worked to create a suitable and welcoming educational environment in time for the start of school.
The academy’s temporary home is a historic private residence at 2007 Terrace Place. The building most recently housed Vanderbilt’s Office of Community, Neighborhood and Government Relations.
“To have moved as rapidly as we have from receiving the Robertses’ generous gift to opening a brand new school with its first cohort of students in less than a year is almost unheard of,” said Camilla P. Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Peabody College. “We are thrilled to be meeting the needs of these children and looking forward to growing the school over the coming years.”
Planning for the academy’s permanent location is almost complete with construction anticipated to start later in fall 2024 or early winter 2025. The new school is slated to be complete in time for the academic year beginning in August 2026.
Families interested in learning more about the Roberts Academy or in applying for admission are encouraged to visit https://www.vanderbilt.edu/roberts-academy-and-center/academy/.
