These are the people who are not going to be able to get decent jobs in a few years if we do not help them now. There are many things hindering their educations. I have already mentioned home environment, and the school environment is crowded with more discipline problems. About half of the kids I work with are in detention regularly. These are good kids - they just aren't sure about what they are supposed to do.
Illiteracy is contagious.
If one student doesn't find value in learning how to read, everyone can learn to dislike school. English is a tough language. I have absolutely no idea how I learned to read. So you're sitting in the library looking at a book and everyone thinks you're reading, but you're not saying anything. At the end of the day, sometimes the kids want to read me a story.