"It is precisely children who struggle with learning who benefit from a close bond with their teacher" – Tim Mainhard (Professor of Educational Sciences at Leiden University).
Simone places great value on practice-based research and aims to work with schools to investigate which approaches contribute to greater equality of opportunity in education. She is convinced that educational improvement stems from strong connections between research and practice. She views the small-scale nature of the region as an opportunity to collaborate with schools on delivering high-quality, equitable education.
In her PhD research at Utrecht University, she focuses on classroom management in primary schools with a high socio-economic disadvantage index, paying particular attention to teacher-student interactions. Within the research group, she is involved in various projects centering on equal opportunities and connection—such as the 'Education-Research Workshop on Giftedness' and a new study on teacher training pathways spanning the MBO, HBO, and WO sectors.
After completing her Master’s degree in Educational Sciences, Simone worked on a research project examining the impact of school closures on vulnerable students during the COVID-19 pandemic. She combined this research with teaching in primary education. She eventually began her PhD research through the PromoDoc program, continuing to combine her academic work with teaching in a multicultural neighborhood.
Born and raised in Zeeland, Simone studied at the 'Academische Pabo' in Utrecht, drawn by the program's combination of primary teacher training and Educational Sciences. Her internships included a placement at a primary school in the Kanaleneiland district of Utrecht; it was there that she first gained extensive experience in a metropolitan, culturally diverse learning environment. That experience broadened her perspective and sparked her interest in the theme of equal opportunities: what does it require of teachers to provide quality education to children from widely diverse backgrounds?