Retired special education teacher Hope Kirsch has turned her educational knowhow into a rewarding second act as a lauded special education attorney post retirement.

Retired elementary school teacher Loretta Nardone never outgrew her childhood love of dolls. Instead, she took her collection of dolls from around the world into her classrooms, where she incorporated them into lessons about different cultures and...

In an effort to support and boost attendance, a new six-month pilot program and partnership between the UFT's United Community Schools and Clean Rite laundromats will give students and their families at five schools in four boroughs easy access to...

The UFT is backing Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for mayor and other candidates for citywide and borough offices and City Council in the Nov. 2 general election in New York City.

Because of the disruptions caused by the pandemic in the 2020-21 school year, participating in “Go Pink Day” this year was a hopeful return to a cherished tradition for many UFT members across the city.

A literacy initiative that focuses on getting students reading on grade level by 3rd grade is the top priority of the city’s Academic Recovery Plan unveiled on July 8 by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The plan details exactly how the city will spend $630...

A coalition of parents and teachers at PS 28 in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx, drawing on the expertise of UFT organizer Betty Zohar, formed in December to prod the police and local officials to clean up the school's entrance, where drug users...

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to lift the state’s charter school cap is out of step with the wishes of state residents. A new poll of registered New York voters found that 79% oppose plans to increase the number of charter schools in New York City and...

Hundreds of middle school students took part in social-emotional learnng at the sixth annual Let’s Talk About It event in Queens, brought by the UFT’s Member Assistance Program (MAP), the MindUP social-emotional learning program and the UFT Teacher...

There is a room at IS 391 in the Bronx with color-changing lights, soft bean-bag chairs, a gurgling fountain, books and fidget toys.
“We needed a calming place where students could come for counseling, and students and staff could just sit and self...

Every election is important, but one could argue that the general election on Nov. 5 is the single most important election in our lifetime. As union members and public school educators, we have a clear choice: Kamala Harris.
We are also supporting...

I have developed five simple strategies for building genuine and affectionate relationships with my students quickly and efficiently early in the school year.

How do you teach elaboration, “adding on” and targeted vocabulary without making student discussion feel forced? Enter hexagonal thinking.

Information about a chapter survey, IPRs and student services managers.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew submitted testimony before the New York City Council Education Committee’s oversight hearing on remote learning failures in New York City public schools.

UFT Vice President Mary Vaccaro delivered testimony before the City Council on examining the risks posed by artificial intelligence.

When I was a high school student, nothing pleased me more than sitting down with a blank planner, color-coding my class assignments and creating a detailed to-do list of tasks I could check off as I completed them.

Sensory tools that have long helped special education students calm down and stay alert in the classroom are now helping general education students ease back into in-person learning.

More than 200 UFT members filled Shanker Hall at union headquarters on February 27 to break the Ramadan fast during the UFT Muslim Educators Committee's third annual Iftar dinner. The event was joined by guests including Mayor Zohran Mamdani and...

In spite of the challenges presented by COVID-19, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) has recognized more than 180 students from New York City’s public high schools and presented each with a $5,000 Albert Shanker college scholarship.

The class trip for 1st-graders at PS 234 in Manhattan to Battery Urban Farm in lower Manhattan was a feast for the senses. The Battery Conservancy created Battery Urban Farm to teach students, residents and visitors about sustainable farming and...

Teachers often go above and beyond for their students, but for Seanelle LeeSang, a teacher at IS 68 in Brooklyn, teaching is an opportunity to go the extra mile for the planet, too.

The historical curiosity of 1st-graders at Manhattan's PS 4 is sparked when co-teachers Lizette Lantigua and Yomayra Gomez take them on a class trip to the 260-year-old Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan's oldest surviving residence.

Approximately 30% of New York City schools don’t have libraries, and there are only 250 certified school librarians throughout a system with more than 1,800 schools. School libraries are needed more than ever.

Two factors have contributed to the increase in bullying in recent years: the pervasiveness of social media and lingering stress from the pandemic. But no matter the reason, the surge has prompted educators to address the issue more urgently. 


Karen Alford, UFT Vice President for Elementary Schools, submitted testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Women and Gender Equity on establishing an office of child care to oversee free child care for all city residents.

If you are eligible for IRMAA, now is the time to file it. Read for more details and important links.

The salaries of UFT-represented employees will increase by 3.5% effective Sept. 14 as part of the 2022-2027 DOE-UFT contract that was ratified in 2023.

Medicare Part B 2024 reimbursements should have reached eligible retirees by April 2025. IRMAA 2024 reimbursements are scheduled to be issued by October 2025.

If you have opted for Medicare’s voluntary prescription drug rider (Part D) for 2025, you may potentially spend less out of pocket for prescription drugs. Under the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, beneficiaries now have a spending cap of $2...

Learn what the 2026 cost of living increase will be for retired educators and other public employees beginning with their September New York State pension checks.

Due to the ongoing litigation, the UFT strongly voiced its opinion that the New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan should not take effect until an orderly transition and continuity of services for retirees can be guaranteed.

The new Teachers’ Retirement System’s Member Education Center has been named after Mel Aaronson, a retired UFT treasurer who served for 35 years on the TRS Board of Trustees, including four as board chair.

While sitting around the table with my family this past Thanksgiving, we took turns telling each other what we were most thankful for. Well, I forgot to thank the United Federation of Teachers for your $4,000 Albert Shanker college scholarship.

Following a three-day strike that shut down the Los Angeles school system, the second largest in the nation, the union representing more than 30,000 teacher’s aides, bus drivers, school cafeteria workers, custodians and other support staff reached a...

The UFT and other education advocates are applying pressure on the Adams administration to have a viable plan for implementing the state’s class-size reduction law. The mayor’s midyear budget cuts and his comments about how he doesn’t believe the...