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Cara Matthews

New York Teacher Senior Editor/Reporter

Small class size

Next steps on class size

The UFT's new class size committee is mounting a member-driven campaign to educate school communities about the state law that limits class sizes, share success stories and provide school chapters with steps they can take to move the process forward.

Generic classroom photo - Spanish/ELL

Growing bilingual special ed ranks

With New York City facing a chronic shortage of bilingual special education teachers, the UFT was able to negotiate a new incentive program to encourage tenured special education teachers with a bilingual extension to combine those two specialties.
Retirees help turn out the vote

Retirees help turn out the vote

UFT retirees turned out in force this election cycle to make calls and knock on doors in support of Kamala Harris for president and other union-endorsed candidates down the ballot.

Trading lesson plans for shopping

Trading lesson plans for shopping lists

Retiree Lorraine Castro has traded in lesson plans for shopping lists since joining forces with her daughter, an in-service teacher at DeWitt Clinton HS in the Bronx, to launch Flavor Bandits, a food truck business that serves up empanadas and other food at events north of New York City.
Medicare 101

Medicare 101: All you need to know

Signing up for Medicare involves more than just checking a box on a form; there are multiple parts to Medicare, and rules and premiums vary.
Phone Bank

UFT is dialed in for its candidates

UFT members hit the phone lines and fanned out from New York City to Philadelphia and Scranton, Pennsylvania, this fall to campaign for Kamala Harris for president, as well as other pro-union, pro-education candidates down the ballot on Nov. 5.

Members get on board

UFT members get on board

Energized UFT members paired up with their fellow union members from the Philadelphia Teachers Union and AFT Pennsylvania on Sept. 21 to get out the vote for Kamala Harris in the battleground state.
Class size milestone

UFT celebrates class size milestone

The UFT traveled to IS 145 in Queens on Sept. 4 to celebrate the school's achievement in bringing all 6th-grade classrooms into compliance with the state class size law limits. This year, 6th-grade classes will have a limit of 23 students, down from 30 or more in years past.

BubbleSheet

Mixed results on state exams

Students with disabilities and students of color made gains in math and lost ground in reading, mirroring the overall pattern for New York City students in grades 3 to 8, according to state test score data.
UFT Member Hub

UFT launches new app

The UFT has launched a new mobile app for fast and convenient access to union resources and information and is available for iPhone and Android users. The UFT Member Hub app replaces UFT-Mobile, the union's old app.