Behind a door cleverly disguised as shelves at the back of the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company lies a “Secret Library” that houses 826NYC, a nonprofit organization whose true mission is to support student writers.

Were you a New York City or New York State employee or did you work as a substitute teacher or serve in the military before joining the Teachers’ Retirement System? If so, you may have the option to buy service credit.


When you retire, you have three choices for handling your money in your Tax-Deferred Annuity: 1) Defer; 2) Convert your TDA into a monthly annuity; or 3) Withdraw all the funds. Most TRS and BERS members elect TDA deferral status.

We need to expand and not contract, much less eliminate, specialized programs for high-achieving youngsters.

If you are a paraprofessional, the DOE-UFT contract establishes rights and obligations in terms of when you can be absent from work. Learn about how you accumulate and can use sick days and about excused absences.

As we awaken from our winter semi-hibernation, it’s a good time for a more thorough reset of your life physically, emotionally and mentally. Much like cleaning the house, it’s about organizing yourself so you can be present for the people, places and...

More than 20,000 UFT members now have their choice of pension systems after a campaign led by members of the UFT Occupational and Physical Therapists Chapter. 


Retired educator Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa has sought refuge in libraries and books her whole life, and now she is contributing her own works to libraries — historical novels that reflect the richness, complexity, beauty and brutality of her Afro-Puerto...

More than 120,000 in-service members and retirees participate in the UFT’s Tax-Deferred Annuity program. When you retire, you have three choices for handling your money in your TDA. Learn about all your options in this month's Secure Your Future.

The following update was sent to all social workers and psychologists from Chapter Leader Raul Garcia on Wednesday, April 15.

The UFT’s 15th annual Early Childhood Conference on April 1 buzzed with energy as nearly 200 educators gathered to learn ways to engage their youngest students with play.

School related professionals play an essential role in supporting the varied needs of students. Meet the chapter leaders of the UFT's functional chapters and learn more about their role.

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 the first Delegate Assembly of the school year on Oct. 11, UFT President Michael Mulgrew stressed the importance of making sure all parts of the new DOE-UFT contract get implemented.


The United Federation of Teachers and the office of the Staten Island Borough President, joined by individual plaintiffs, filed a federal lawsuit to halt the implementation of congestion pricing in Manhattan, scheduled to go into effect this spring.

Oftentimes the leaders of this union are the faces in the media, but we know the real work happens when our members drive the change. This school year, we will again be joining together to form citywide union committees to tackle some of the most...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew told the Delegate Assembly on March 15 that, despite Mayor Eric Adams’ comments to the contrary, the city must comply with new class-size requirements that have been funded by the state.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew says reducing class size and paperwork are the keys to moving the public schools forward.

School-related professionals playan essential role in supporting the varied needs of students. This issue of the New York Teacher is dedicated to these UFT members. They number more than 46,000 in total in the New York City public school system and...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew’s core message to the 1,300 UFT members at the union’s Spring Education Conference on May 20 was “Kill hate with love." He told educators at the New York Hilton Midtown, “What we do is powerful. It’s our voice that must...

Just two of this school year’s grievances over excessive class sizes citywide remained unresolved by Thanksgiving — thanks to a powerful provision in the 2018 Department of Education-UFT contract.

The benefits of 3-K are solid, with the youngest students gaining the foundation they need to succeed in pre-K and beyond as educators engage them in hands-on activities and play-based learning crucial to developing their young minds.


Hundreds of Federation of Nurses/UFT members gathered on Nov. 18 at union headquarters for their annual Professional Issues Conference to delve into some of their key concerns and honor colleagues who have helped improve working conditions.

The UFT offers a range of programs for members facing a cancer diagnosis that combine compassionate support with access to top-quality clinical care. The 3D mammogram, a sophisticated new tool, is a recent addition to the mix.


School social worker Maureen Eigenfeld has made art the cornerstone of her therapeutic work with students at the Bronx Writing Academy, a United Community School in Concourse Village.

The teacher leader team at IS 145 in Jackson Heights, Queens, has stepped up to help keep pace with the changing needs of the students and the teachers at the school, which is located in one of the city’s most ethnically diverse neighborhoods.

UFT Assistant Secretary Michael Sill submitted testimony before the Rockefeller Institute of Government's public hearing on updating the state's Foundation Aid formula.

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 members are prepared to fight for the contract they deserve. That was the message resonating across the city on Jan. 30, as educators gathered in their schools for “teach-ins” led by members of each school’s Contract Action Team.

This Brooklyn teacher uses immersive, engaging lessons and storytelling techniques to bring the past to life for his middle school students.

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. 


Students in the Career and Technical Education dance program at Talent Unlimited HS in Manhattan learn not only technique and performance but also how to choreograph, produce and direct.

An independent arbitrator has upheld the union's position and ruled that the city must offer work outside school buildings to immunocompromised members who — even vaccinated — are at high risk of contracting serious illness from a COVID-19 infection...

In the last 20 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, national hospital costs have tripled, and other medical charges have more than doubled, far outpacing increases in average family income.

Everything you need to know about the UFT's Student Debt Relief Program and the status of federal student-debt forgiveness.

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.