Every child needs at least one adult who believes they can learn

Rita Pierson, a teacher for many years, gave a short talk titled "Every kid needs a champion". Her central claim is simple: children learn better when at least one adult shows that they believe in them and want them to succeed.

We think this deserves more weight in how we talk about education. Policy debates focus on curricula, tests and technology, which matter. But the day-to-day experience of being known, respected and expected to succeed is not an extra; it is the condition under which everything else works.

Practical consequences follow: smaller groups where relationships can form, time in the school day for teachers to know their students, mentoring for children without such support, and recognition of the relationship-building part of teachers' work.

The honest objection is that "belief" is hard to measure and cannot replace good teaching of content. That is right: we do not claim it can. A champion who cannot teach does little. But a good teacher who does not believe a child can learn will struggle.

What would change our mind: careful evidence that supportive relationships have no effect on learning once other factors are accounted for.