Downtown's VLT Academy builds impressive record of learning, achieving

Without a single television or radio ad, the Value Learning and Teaching Academy has made a big impression on hundreds of families in Greater Cincinnati. Since its founding in 2005, VLT Academy has offered extended hours and supportive programs for students from Cincinnati, West Chester, Fairfield and other neighborhoods.

The charter school, located in five buildings in Over the Rhine, graduated its first class, 19 students, last spring. All of them are now in college.

The graduates took nearly a half million dollars in scholarships to colleges including Wright State University, Miami University Ohio, the Ohio State University and Spelman College, according to Clyde Lee, the school's project manager.

"We have 22 scheduled to graduate this year," Lee says. "All have been accepted to college. There are no dropouts."

VLT Academy currently educates 875 kindergarten through 12th graders. School opens at 7:30 am and ends at 6 pm so parents who work downtown can drop their children off as they head into work and pick them up when their days are done.

School founder and superintendent Valerie Lee spent decades as a teacher and administrator in the Cincinnati Public School System. She and her husband Clyde, a retired General Motors manager, lead 95 teachers and staff members across the multiple buildings. All teachers and all substitute teachers are certified.

Clyde Lee oversees facilities management and events, working closely with neighboring businesses and landlords to maintain the architectural integrity of the school's buildings while providing for students' physical and educational needs.

"We try to foster a family atmosphere," Lee says. "Our main focus is to have our children be college-bound."

Lee speaks of his graduates with the tone of a proud father. He mentions one high-performing senior who has been accepted into and wooed by Princeton, Harvard, MIT and Notre Dame. He talks about providing food and new coats for many other students, and of five families currently experiencing homelessness.

"We go the extra mile," he says.

Part of that extra mile extends into homes of parents before their children enter the Academy, he says. The school plans to implement the First Teacher Program later this year in hopes of raising the youngest students' reading levels and increasing their opportunities for success.

Do Good:
Make a virtual visit.

Follow VLT on Twitter.

• Check out First Teacher resources.

By Elissa Yancey

Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.