Our Issues

As an education advocate, the UFT is involved in many of the most important debates and discussions affecting our schools and our city. Here is where we stand on some of the crucial current issues facing students, parents and educators.

Charter Schools

Charter schools were originally conceived as innovative public schools, free from the bureaucracy of school districts and designed to nurture new effective educational models. In fact, the late UFT and AFT president Al Shanker was an early proponent of charters.

Supporting Struggling Schools

The great promise of public education is that it is for all children, and a strong public education system has long been understood as one of the pillars of a democratic society. The great challenge for educators is thus not only how to raise standards and achievements but also how to raise them for our most vulnerable and disadvantaged students.

Teacher Evaluation

To the union, teacher evaluation is primarily a professional activity, geared to improving teaching and student outcomes. The best evaluators, in our view, are colleagues who engage in a collaborative process of reviewing student work, improving lessons and fine-tuning instruction.