I couldn't stand CITR, but you're absolutely right, it started a whole new and repulsive genre.
When kids are at their most susceptible (junior high school age), teachers urge them to read these horrible stories where everybody in the family seems to be an alcholic, an incest victim, a jailbird, etc., with a whiny heroine who sits around and feels sorry for herself. And this Jerry Springer vision of the universe is pushed as being a reflection of normal everyday life. No wonder many kids seem to be jaded and cynical by the age of 15 now.
You're almost right. Teachers force these books down kids' throats as "literature" and it lowers their expectations of what's possible with the written word for life. Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, was shocked when he learned his book was being taught in public schools. He said, "Nest isn't even a pimple on the a@@ of American literature. They should be reading Moby Dick!"