Standards are important measures we use to compare and evaluate. Because there were myriad issues with the Common Core Learning Standards, the New York State Education Department scrapped them and, with the help of more than 130 educators and parents, developed the Next Generation Standards.

How can we ensure that the middle school experience benefits and uplifts every New York City public school student, regardless of race and income level? The District 15 Diversity Plan, which the city approved on Sept. 20, is an important step toward that goal.

As in all the Septembers before, thousands of new educators have accepted the challenge to make a difference in the lives of New York City’s public school children.

Staying in fighting shape takes self-care. As educator and activist Audre Lorde reminded us, “You can’t fight from a place of fury all of the time.”

At the HERstory brunch in March at union headquarters, UFT members were able to relax while receiving massages and feel pampered while having their nails manicured and their makeup applied, all by career and technical education students from Queens Vocational HS in Long Island City. Those 25 cosmetology students were demonstrating how the CTE process works, applying the skills they mastered in school in a real-world setting.

Earlier this year, the Federation of Nurses/UFT achieved on-time contracts at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and NYU Langone-Brooklyn Hospital that protected the nurses’ hard-fought contractual benefits, improved working conditions and included regular pay increases.

It’s time to get serious about play. That’s the message of our 2018 UFT Early Childhood Education Conference, which is built on research that shows that play is the way young children learn.

At one middle school in Queens, a unique program is fostering a culture of empowerment aimed at these young girls. Girl power is not only alive but vibrant at MS 125 in Woodside, thanks to Girls Who Code.

With this new non-test-based diploma option, there are now five safety-net local diploma options for students with disabilities. There is reason for both excitement and concern. 

Operation Agua is committed to delivering 100,000 water purifiers to Puerto Rican residents and businesses.