Parents everywhere are asking an important question: What skills will truly prepare a child for a world defined by rapid change, global uncertainty, and the rise of artificial intelligence?

For decades, schools focused entirely on academics. Today, research from neuroscience, performance psychology, and leading universities shows a different reality: The students who thrive long-term are those who master emotional intelligence, resilience, and self-awareness alongside strong academic performance.

This is the foundation of SEE Learning®, the social-emotional learning curriculum developed at Emory University after 20 years of research in cognitive science and developmental psychology.

"The SEE Learning® framework builds on work by the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) community, in which cultivating positive emotional regulation, self-compassion, and interpersonal skills have been observed to improve both academic growth and individual well-being outcomes during critical stages of childhood development." - SEE Learning Companion Guide Book

And in Romania, Verita International School has partnered directly with Emory University to implement the full program. The school’s mission is to prepare its students not only for exams, but for life.

Why Life Skills Are So Important Now

From Fortune 500 companies to neuroscientists and education experts, there is now overwhelming agreement that emotional intelligence is a decisive advantage. The ability to manage stress, communicate clearly, adapt to change, collaborate with others, and regulate emotions strongly predicts success in adulthood.

High-performance fields have known this:

• Olympic athletes use structured attention training.
• Navy SEALs rely on emotional regulation under extreme pressure.
• Leaders in technology and medicine practice mindfulness and cognitive reframing to perform at their best.

SEE Learning® takes these evidence-based tools and translates them into accessible, age-appropriate lessons for children and teenagers.

“The research is very clear. Emotional resilience is one of the strongest predictors of long-term success,” explains Richard Joannides, Founder of Verita International School. “We want our students to be academically strong and also grounded, confident, and capable of navigating a complex world with maturity and empathy.”

At Verita, emotional intelligence is not treated as an optional skill. It is one of the school’s essential learning outcomes.

Students learn to manage stress, stay focused, understand their emotions, resolve conflict, communicate with clarity, and build healthy habits for lifelong well-being.

The changes are visible in the classroom and at home. Parents regularly share that their children become calmer, more communicative, and more self-aware after joining Verita. A big advantage of the SEE Learning® program is that it provides in depth training for teachers, and practices the parents can use at home, as modelling these concepts and having School - Students - Parents cycle is a very important success factor.

A Curriculum Rooted in Neuroscience and Practice

SEE Learning® draws from five key research fields:

• Neuroscience – how emotions and the brain function
• Developmental psychology – how children learn at different ages
• Mindfulness – focus, attention, and presence
• Compassion-based training – healthy relationships and empathy
• Trauma-informed education – emotional safety and understanding

“We want students to understand their minds in the same way they understand maths or science,” says Marius Luca, Verita’s Mindfulness and SEL Specialist. “Self-awareness is a skill. Emotional clarity is a skill. Both can be taught.”

Across Verita’s classrooms, this approach leads to stronger focus during lessons, more confident communication, better collaboration, and healthier responses to academic pressure.

"The idea that cultivating basic human values can benefit oneself and others is rapidly gaining ground as research demonstrates throughout the world the connection between ethical values and flourishing. The United Nations’ 2016 edition of the World Happiness Report contains a chapter on secular ethics, which notes that “We should assess human progress by the extent to which people are enjoying their lives—by the prevalence of happiness and, conversely, the absence of misery… We should in all our dealings truly wish for the happiness of all of those we can affect, and we should cultivate in ourselves an attitude of unconditional benevolence.” - SEE Learning Companion Guide Book

Verita’s advantage comes from combining Emory’s SEE curriculum with world-class academics. The school offers the full British pathway.

IEYC, IPC, and IMYC inquiry programs.
IGCSE for Years 10 and 11.
The IB Diploma Programme for Years 12 and 13.
Strong STEM, arts, humanities, and service learning options.

Students learn rigorous academics under the British system and also learn how to think, understand themselves, work with others, and take responsible actions in the world.

This balance between mind, heart, and character is what modern educational research identifies as whole-child learning. Verita has become one of the region’s leaders in implementing it.

Preparing Students for the Real World Ahead

As artificial intelligence automates routine tasks, the qualities that cannot be automated are becoming the qualities that matter most. Emotional intelligence, resilience, leadership, and social awareness are increasingly recognized as top predictors of employability and long-term success.

“If a child graduates able to think deeply, collaborate with kindness, and face challenges with resilience,” says Joannides, “then we have succeeded.”

*This is Partner Content.