A unique new elective at Eleanor Roosevelt HS on Manhattan's Upper East Side designed by computer science teacher Susan Ettenheim and known as Patterns of the World, allows students to apply computer science principles to the visual arts.

Teacher Orvil Boatswain’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning program at the Bronx Design and Construction Academy is the only program of its kind in New York City public high schools, and it regularly wins an annual statewide competition.

Using the school cafeteria as a shop, 4th-graders at PS 143 in Corona, Queens, learn bike mechanics, incorporating hands-on elements into their study of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Lisa Friscia, the 2022 Elementary TESOL Teacher of the Year, has helped build a strong and vibrant ENL instructional practice at PS 39 on Staten Island that engages and empowers English language learners.

Kappa League, a program that offers Black and Latino high school boys a chance to develop leadership skills while preparing for college, now has a small but growing presence in New York City public schools thanks to the efforts of two UFT members. 

The UFT is fighting to preserve the "unicorn" status of premium-free health care for New York City public school educators, even as most public and private sector employees have to pay hefty premiums.