Value of Sight-Reading/Classical Guitar Courses for Rock Guitar

I've been taking guitar classes for about a year and a half, so I'm very much a beginner (Tr: hack). When I started, my instructor was a guy who loved classical/flamenco pieces (e.g., Carulli, Bach, Sor), but his eyes lit up when I brought in a rock song I wanted to try. He just left the studio, and I've continued taking courses with his sister, who runs the music school. She's a great teacher, and loves the classical stuff, but I get the strong feeling she isn't into the rock pieces. So I'm definitely going to continue the classes (I want to be able to sight-read almost anything, regardless of whether I can play it, and to get to the point where I can write music (for myself only)). At the same time, I want to keep experimenting with and learning rock/blues.

Do you find that sight-reading and learning classical-type pieces can helps you develop your ability to play rock guitar, or are classical and rock guitar -- for the most part -- separate skill sets? (I know there's some overlap, obv.)