The UFT Teacher Center

The UFT Teacher Center, founded in 1979, is a school-based professional development program that promotes teacher excellence and academic achievement for all students.

The Teacher Center operates throughout the five boroughs of New York City in some 175 school-based sites and numerous outreach locations. Drawing on current research and best practices, the Teacher Center’s professional development activities for educators are designed to deepen content knowledge and enhance pedagogical skill. Activities range widely and include intensive in-classroom support, after-school study groups, citywide networks, conferences and seminars.

The Teacher Center is a collaboration of the UFT, the New York State Education Department, the New York City Department of Education, participating schools and districts, school support organizations and metropolitan area universities and cultural institutions.

A highlight of UFT Teacher Center offerings is its series of daylong conferences held on weekends during the school year. Always well-attended, these free conferences are wonderful sources of high-quality professional development in specific academic areas such as literacy, early childhood, math or English language learners. See a list of weekend conferences for the 2012-13 school year.

Teacher Center newsletters focus on similar topics and include summaries of recent research, lists of books that delve further and present solutions, ideas and perspectives from actual New York City teachers, and reviews of the best available online resources for teachers.

Visit the Teacher Center website to learn more about conferences, seminars and networks during the school year, or to access its many professional resources to help teachers with instruction.