New York City has taken the first steps to support students in the foster care system by beginning to establish a government team dedicated to that purpose. It must go the rest of the way and help these kids get everything they need to thrive.

Mary Vaccaro, UFT Vice President for Education, submitted testimony before the oversight hearing of the New York City Council Education Committee jointly with the Committee on State and Federal Legislation on the new phonics-based curriculum and...

School safety is a prerequisite for teaching and learning. The UFT’s Safety and Health Department is dedicated to protecting all UFT members from safety threats that can confront them in schools. Here are answers to some of the most common questions...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew sent a letter to NY State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa outlining concerns with the city's inability to provide mandated special education services.

New York City schools, particularly in District 75, are in dire need of paraprofessionals, who provide essential support services for children with disabilities. The shortage won’t get resolved until the city Department of Education streamlines its...

The UFT called on the city and the state to adopt a five-point plan to deal with the impact of COVID-19 on public school students, including earmarking more than $1 billion to address the psychological effects and academic learning losses in New York...

Michelle Lowe-Calixte has been an exemplary chapter leader the last three years — all while also serving as the District 23 paraprofessional coordinator.

The diligent advocacy of the UFT and OT/PT members has resulted in the city Department of Education finally implementing a long-delayed policy allowing occupational and physical therapists to work a voluntary ninth session for additional pay.

UFT Assistant Secretary Michael Sill delivered testimony before the New York City Council Committees on Finance and Education regarding the proposed FY25 executive budget.

Four UFT fall parent conferences in October and November, held virtually for the second consecutive year, drew nearly 350 parents and featured workshops, speakers, resources and surprises.

UFT Vice President for Elementary Schools Karen Alford testified before the New York State Senate & Assembly Committees on Finance, Ways & Means and Education regarding the proposed FY24 Executive Budget.

Testimony of educators and community members submitted in support of the "RESPECT check" bill for New York City paraprofessionals before the City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor.

Testimony of Michael Mulgrew, UFT President, Priscilla Castro, Chairperson of the UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter, and others delivered in support of the "RESPECT check" bill for New York City paraprofessionals at the Nov. 13, 2025 City Council hearing...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew and UFT member Jennifer Rosario, a bilingual social worker covering five Brooklyn high schools, testified on the need for the state to make sure resources reach the schools as part of any changes to state discipline...

Testimony of educators and community members submitted in support of the "RESPECT check" bill for New York City paraprofessionals at the Nov. 13, 2025 City Council hearing.

Rather than just seeing them for what their scores say or what we unconsciously believe about them, we need to make sure that we as teachers are centering student voices and experiences in our curriculum and instruction.

Teaching elementary school students while they are up on their feet gives them the opportunity to allow their bodies and minds to work together.

Middle-schoolers from Brooklyn on a class trip to Corona, Queens, were transported back to the mid-1900s, to the house where legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong spent his last 28 years.

The union has negotiated and advocated strongly for many years to maintain the integrity of lesson plans as a tool created by and for teachers. Here are the rights and responsibilities that teachers have vis-a-vis lesson plans.

Thousands of New York City public school teachers work together in Integrated Co-Teaching classrooms, in which one special education teacher and one general education teacher work alongside each other. But what are the ingredients of a successful...

The provisions in the DOE-UFT contract regarding program preferences and professional activity assignments give teachers a voice about which classes they will teach the following year and which professional activities they are assigned.

The United Federation of Teachers will work with the AFT to support international teachers who were exploited by DOE administrators and will fight to ensure these teachers are covered by the same rights and protections of all current UFT members.

Dial-A-Teacher, the UFT’s free homework helpline, is a lifeline for students every Monday through Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. when school is in session. It offers K-12 students and their parents homework support from licensed teachers in English, math...

When teachers and paraprofessionals are on the same page, the classroom becomes a place of unity and students are the beneficiaries. Teachers across the city discuss the benefits of forging strong, healthy relationships with the paraprofessionals...

At PS 13 on Staten Island, UFT members and the principal began holding initial planning conferences "on the move." That seemingly minor change has delivered outsized benefits in teacher morale — and possibly even student achievement.

Given the city’s diverse student population, a pressing issue for educators has been how to differentiate instruction to reach all students using one of the new reading curriculum programs.

Paraprofessionals perform vital work in schools. There are career ladder positions available for paras as well as opportunities for educational advancement for paras interested in becoming teachers, school counselors, psychologists or other titles.

Wage gaps, lack of public support, burnout, a strong emphasis on testing, and cultural and political wars are all factors in a nationwide teacher shortage that has many school systems struggling.

Whether you co-teach on a regular basis or sit on the same grade or subject team as other educators, you have a host of colleagues who can be your allies and support network.

Integrated co-teaching (ICT) classes are taught by two teachers — a general education or content-area teacher and a special education teacher. A co-teaching relationship needs two willing partners who are communicative, collaborative and cooperative...

UFT Vice President for Education Mary Vaccaro writes that the UFT Teacher Center has been a leader in providing New York City public school educators with high-quality professional learning for more than 40 years. The program recently has begun...

Billy Green, a chemistry teacher at A. Philip Randolph HS in Harlem, has been named the 2023 New York State Teacher of the Year by the State Education Department.

As the DOE's mandated Algebra I math curriculum has expanded from a few hundred high schools last year to citywide this school year, so have teachers’ concerns that it is a mismatch for city schools and is hampering their students’ academic progress.

When I began my teaching career in 2007, more than a quarter of the students at my Queens elementary school were English language learners. Each year, our school seemed to shift its strategy for English as a New Language instruction in a fresh...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew oversaw a panel of UFT Teacher Center literacy district coaches who discussed the progress and pitfalls of Phase 1 of the rollout of new phonics-based literacy curricula in 15 New York City districts.

The UFT launched a television ad campaign on April 16, 2020, spotlighting educators who are meeting the challenges of remote learning for their public school students and also thanking frontline workers for their efforts in the fight against COVID-19...