Wearing their characteristics on their T-shirts are (from left) Sharon Dror, a speech therapist at PS 212 in Brooklyn; parent Valerie Deleon from the PS 212 community; and Parent Coordinator Ana Vazquez of PS 30 in the Bronx. 

Teachers (from left) Kimberly Ihata, Noreen Gillespie and Matthew Vanderlee from IS 220 in Brooklyn talk about their experiences creating teacher leadership roles during the morning panel on NYC Innovations in Education.

During the morning panel on NYC Innovations in Education, chapter leaders (from left) John McCrann from Harvest Collegiate HS in Manhattan and Betty Nieves from MS 354 in Brooklyn, who discussed the PROSE program, listen as Joe Sicilian from Curtis HS in Staten Island and Brenda Shufelt from PS 30 in Manhattan explain how Community Learning Schools work.

The conference is packed with some 1,400 UFT members, parents and elected officials.

Teachers Amanda Ramos (left) and Laura Ralph discuss their work building a model teacher program at River East Elementary School in East Harlem at a workshop called Cultivating the Power of Teacher Leaders.

Social worker Kenia Jeanniton (standing) from Community Health Academy of the Heights in upper Manhattan answers a question on schoolwide student emotional support at a workshop on Community Learning Schools.

Dana Ashley (with microphone), the director of the UFT’s Positive Learning Collaborative, talks about transforming school climate at a workshop on Creating Caring Schools. UFT Vice President for Special Education Carmen Alvarez (right) looks on.

Raphaela Reed, a teacher at Francis Lewis HS, learns how to use a tool for instant student assessment at the instructional technology workshop called It’s All About the Apps.

Parent Phillips St. Luce records a slide on the screen at a workshop on the PROSE schools.

Apple Education instructor David Nash demonstrates instant English-Spanish translation using an iPad at a workshop on classroom technology tools.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks about the profound change being a public school parent has had on him, telling attendees, “We need to respect educators if we cherish our children.”

New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña reads from a poem by Marge Piercy: “The people I love the best jump into work head first … the pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real,” and praised the audience of educators for doing important work. 

Music teacher Adam Goldberg sets up an iPad as the Technology Band of PS 177 in Queens gets ready to perform during the luncheon. 

The Technology Band of PS 177 in Queens performs to great applause. 

At the exhibit hall, technology teacher Manuel Santana (right) holds a virtual reality viewer while his Academy of Innovative Technology HS students look on. 

Elizabeth Soden, a teacher at PS 104 in Brooklyn, has her nails done by a student from Queens Vocational and Technical High School, one of the 25 schools represented at the exhibit hall. 

UFT President Michael Mulgrew (left) and Vice President Sterling Roberson find out from students at LaGuardia HS what’s great about the Technical Theatre program and their Manhattan school.