Associate Prof of Education, UCL Research Lead, Ambition Institute Site: https://samsims.education/https://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3mfoiswt67k2zNew research from Michigan State shows a) school climate has a pretty strong relationship with pupil absenteeism b) this seems to have got stronger since pandemic c) student sense of 'connectedness' may be particularly important aspect of school climate https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.3102/00028312261417687#supplementary-materials25 Feb 2026 10:44 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfoiswt67k2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3me4wbwiask2sAre you a post-doc social scientist with strong quantitative skills? Would you like to come and work with myself and @clairetyler.bsky.social alongside all the brilliant people at @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social? If so, please apply for this job! Please repost! https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQK316/post-doctoral-research-assistant05 Feb 2026 17:32 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3me4wbwiask2shttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3ma6cvqpyjk2dMany students - and indeed adults - underrate themselves when it comes to maths. So what do we know about teaching for confidence in mathematics? https://www.ambition.org.uk/blog/five-insights-on-teaching-for-confidence-in-mathematics/17 Dec 2025 09:10 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma6cvqpyjk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3m6ots7f3nc2hNew research with @clareroutledge.bsky.social Funded by the Gatsby Foundation We asked 2000 UK/US undergrads to choose between pairs of hypothetical jobs to understand how more of them could be tempted into teaching28 Nov 2025 12:05 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6ots7f3nc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3m6ots7f3nc2hNew research with @clareroutledge.bsky.social Funded by the Gatsby Foundation We asked 2000 UK/US undergrads to choose between pairs of hypothetical jobs to understand how more of them could be tempted into teaching28 Nov 2025 12:05 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6ots7f3nc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3m6hxmjfan22vhttps://edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai25-1315.pdf25 Nov 2025 18:24 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6hxmjfan22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3m63ehgjyws2aDo you like the kind of research that we do at @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social? 📈 Do you want to learn more about education policy and analysis? 🏫 Then why not come and do our new MSc this September? 🧑‍🎓 Be warned - the module on teachers and teaching will be taught by me! https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught-degrees/social-policy-quantitative-education-analysis-msc20 Nov 2025 18:09 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3m63ehgjyws2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3m4sad25ar22tMore large-scale survey evidence that many students are becoming disengaged from education when they enter secondary school. This time from collaborators of mine at @liftschools.org www.liftschools.org/ks3-engagement https://www.liftschools.org/ks3-engagement04 Nov 2025 09:36 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4sad25ar22thttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3m36aya43bc26Very sensible. Indeed it would be mad if the government didn’t do it the way Daisy proposes. [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Oct 2025 17:30 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3m36aya43bc26https://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3m334nexg4k2qJoel Mokyr won the Nobel prize today Here is what I think he can teach us about improving schools: https://samsims.education/2022/06/08/evidence-expertise-and-the-self-improving-school-system/13 Oct 2025 11:34 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3m334nexg4k2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3lzl2b7pogs2oAll teacher training ultimately aims to support transfer of learning to new and varied classroom situations. In this (recently published) paper we provide some of the first experimental evidence on how teacher educators can help achieve this goal: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02619768.2025.251186724 Sep 2025 08:44 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzl2b7pogs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3lyieahqibs2rHow can democrats justify continuing to fund an authoritarian takeover of the federal government? https://open.spotify.com/episode/5kpnbIGCWlCA1lVULMkZ1E?si=V-93YTtsQwW8WytQXXLrIg10 Sep 2025 13:39 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyieahqibs2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3lxre4vlwvk2aAre you interested in teacher coaching, simulation, transfer of training? Join us at 11am (online) for this talk on Thursday. Sign up using the link below: https://ucl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_O3ooAAtYTzqRVSzyaaxPsg01 Sep 2025 10:06 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxre4vlwvk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3lxkkuaxdj22lThe @theeef.bsky.social recommends schools use teaching assistants (TAs) to deliver evidence-based interventions This research, led by my colleague Briony Banks, sets out the options and provides advice for school leaders on how to choose between them https://www.ambition.org.uk/teaching-assistant-led-interventions/29 Aug 2025 17:18 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxkkuaxdj22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3lxhlhd5nfs22Teachers who made more/better use of classroom routines had students with measurably higher (indicators of) attention in their lesson https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S095947522200115328 Aug 2025 12:50 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxhlhd5nfs22https://bsky.app/profile/drsamsims.bsky.social/post/3lw6xz3txck2iNew meta-analysis of expertise reversal effect: lower prior knowledge learn more from higher instructional guidance; higher prior knowledge learn less Differences in effects of guidance for low-high knowledge groups (60 studies) supports theory: Tetzlaff et al www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...12 Aug 2025 09:16 +0000at://did:plc:eensfvjvimqltnwemxpu44io/app.bsky.feed.post/3lw6xz3txck2i