Questioning Literacy and Individual Consciousness

Akinnaso relates his unique journey to literacy in his essay Questioning Literacy and Individual Consciousness. In the current educational reform atmosphere of American education a student’s home life is frequently touted as the most debilitating or successful variable in a student’s success.  Given Akinnaso’s example of a home life where no homework or language acquisition help was available, how important do you find the pride he felt rising above the level of his community in being asked to help in increasing literacy-requiring events?  Are there ways that his situation could be used as a model to help literacy acquisition and English language learners in the current US education system?