new teacher articles

This union works with parents

Oct 18, 2007 2:42 PM

The UFT has a long history of working with parents. The union’s award-winning Dial-A-Teacher program offers homework help to students and parents. The union started this free telephone helpline in 1979 with City Council funding. With more than 1 million calls, it has become a national model for homework help.
The UFT/Dial-A-Teacher just held its 10th annual citywide Parent Conference on Oct. 13 at the New York Sheraton Hotel & Towers, attracting nearly 3,000 parents and caretakers from all boroughs to its many workshops [see coverage on page 20].
Today, the union has a full-time UFT parent-community liaison working with parents in each UFT borough office. They hold workshops to help families tackle homework and other learning issues. And they offer parents useful materials, such as Dial-A-Teacher’s booklet titled “The Parent Math Book,” which shows adults how to navigate through the math learning process and become more effective in helping their children learn math.