Education inside the inner city: Coming from single parent homes, many Pulse students struggle in school. About half are already one year behind. Some have parents who have never finished high school. Many parents struggle to provide basic school supplies for their children.

Reading is a critical bridge to success in school. Children generally are learning to read until third grade. By the fourth grade, they should be reading to learn. Students who don’t read well have increasing difficulty keeping up. This can lead to poor grades, disengaging from school, and dropping out of high school. In fact, children who aren’t reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times as likely to drop out of high school. Nationally, two-thirds of students are not reading on grade level by fourth grade. That proportion rises to four-fifths for children from low-wage families

In Duval County, nearly three out of four black males who enter ninth grade do not earn a high school diploma four years later. Duval County has one of the lowest graduation rates in the United States.

The Pulse strives to bridge this gap by offering tutoring in all subjects, stressing reading proficiency and providing opportunities for young people to get the help they need to improve their grades. Our free library provides books for students to read and to borrow.
More volunteers are always needed! You can make a difference by simply reading storybooks with beginner students. Time invested to help keep these kids in school today can mean fewer drop-outs, less crime and a lower teen birth rate tomorrow.
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Won’t you join The Pulse in this fight by supporting this mission with your time or with your funds?