What Are Students Really Learning in School?
Glendale International School Explores Through a Social Experiment
Hyderabad, April 10, 2026: What is a child really learning in school?
Glendale International School, part of the Global Schools Group Singapore, set out to explore this question through a simple but revealing social experiment. Parents and students were independently asked the same question: “What is your child learning well in school?”
The responses uncovered a striking contrast.
Parents largely spoke in terms of academic subjects—mathematics, science, and performance outcomes. Students, however, described something very different. They spoke about how they were learning—listening better, taking initiative, becoming more responsible, and working effectively with others.
This contrast points to a deeper reality in education.
While learning is often defined, communicated, and evaluated through academic outcomes, students experience it through the behaviours and habits they develop every day. What is visible to the system is not always what the learner experiences.
This insight lies at the heart of Glendale’s educational philosophy.
Over the past few years, the school has built a structured framework through the ‘LeaderinMe’ programme, integrating habit-building into everyday learning. Drawing from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the programme focuses on behaviours such as initiative, self-management, collaboration, empathy, and accountability, not as add-ons, but as core to the learning experience.
These behaviours are intentionally practised and continuously tracked alongside academic progress, offering a more holistic view of student development.
Internal observations indicate that a significant proportion of students demonstrate proactive behaviour, manage tasks independently, and collaborate effectively, signalling the deep integration of these habits into daily learning.
Mr. Atul Temurnikar, Chairman of Global Schools Group, said “This initiative reflects a shift from focusing only on performance to understanding student development more holistically. By embedding habit-building into everyday learning, we are helping students build capabilities that extend far beyond the classroom.”
Ms. Minu Salooja, Director, Glendale International Schools, said, “Education has long been defined by what is easy to measure—marks, ranks, and results. But what truly drives outcomes are behaviours that are far less visible. Habits like listening, ownership, and initiative shape how children perform over time. At Glendale, through the ‘LeaderinMe’ programme, we make these behaviours visible and measurable. This experiment shows how deeply they are embedded in the way students think and act.”
This initiative reflects a broader shift in education—from measuring outcomes to understanding how those outcomes are built. By connecting behaviour, data, and real-world application, Glendale offers a more complete and future-ready definition of student success.
When the same question leads to different answers, it may be time to rethink how learning is defined.
Strong academics matter. But it is habits that drive outcomes.
About Glendale International School
Glendale International School is part of a global network of premier international schools under Global Schools Group (GSG) – an initiative of Global Schools Foundation (GSF) which has won over 650+ prestigious awards for providing quality education. Rooted in the philosophy of holistic development, Glendale blends global best practices in education with Indian cultural ethos to empower students to become compassionate, confident, and future-ready leaders. With a strong emphasis on experiential learning, leadership development, and character education, Glendale provides a dynamic environment where students thrive—both in the classroom and beyond. Being part of GSG, Glendale students get an added advantage of collaboration within the network’s 64 campuses through knowledge exchange.
