The feeling that comes with finishing a great novel is hard to compare. A good book can evoke a multitude of complex emotions in those who devour it. Bits and pieces linger in the mind long after the book has been closed. Novels are like roadmaps to understanding humans, and discussing those maps is the essence of language arts. In an education system that is fixated on fact memorization and standardized testing, English classrooms can, for many students, become refuges of creative thinking that is drawn from the wisdom and imagination contained in literature.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, designed to streamline educational standards across the states, will cut back the amount of fiction that is read during English classes in public schools. Instead of being balanced, the coursework has been heavily shifted to works of nonfiction. According to the new standards, 70 percent of what high school seniors read in school should consist of informational texts. This highly disproportionate ratio means that students will be primarily versed in texts that will probably not resonate with them outside of specific contexts.

What the creators of Common Core failed to see are the unique, positive effects of reading fiction. A study conducted by researchers at The New School has found that reading literary fiction encourages empathy because it often puts readers inside the mind of a complicated, multilayered character. Further evidencing this quality is a recent study suggesting that people who have read the “Harry Potter” series are less likely to have racial prejudices. Lessons of empathy and tolerance are rarely taught outside lessons on literature.

Common Core creators Susan Pimentel and David Coleman have pointed out that the ratio of nonfiction to fiction will apply to school in general, not exclusively English class. This means that teachers of math, science and social studies are expected to teach relevant informational texts that contribute to the 70 percent. But this may be an unrealistic expectation given that teachers of other subjects are often busy with the content of their own curriculums. They neither want nor have the time to teach reading lessons, putting much of the burden on English departments to meet the unreasonable standard.

This push toward nonfiction is the effect of an increasingly vocationally minded education system. While preparing students for the workplace is undoubtedly necessary, it should not be the primary objective of education. Schools have and should continue to do much more than produce assembly lines of competent workers. Literature might not make you a better employee, but it sure can make you a better person.

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, Sept. 10 print edition. Email Zahra Haque at [email protected].