Retired music teacher Emy Vanderpool wasn't ready to leave the world of education when health concerns forced her to step down. The UFT's Partners Through Experience program has offered a way for Vanderpool and other recnt retirees to stay connected...

What will the next four years under President Donald Trump mean for public education in New York City? UFT President Michael Mulgrew told the Delegate Assembly on Jan. 15 that many parents are fearful of the ramifications.

As part of its contract negotiations with the UFT, the DOE revised the 2023-24 school year calendar in late June to add four more days off for students and educators and issued calendars for the following two school years at the same time.

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.

Member organizing paid off at the Brooklyn campus of Boerum Hill School for International Studies and two other public schools. The city Department of Education moved to alleviate overcrowding by transferring unused Success Academy Charter School...

A total of 67 UFT members have their work on display at the Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition, titled “The Art of the Educator,” is the result of a partnership between the museum and the New York City Art Teachers Association/UFT.

Days are longer and the sun’s rays don’t only help flowers bloom — they also have a way of making us feel happier and more energized. So embrace your inner sun worshipper and enjoy the benefits of the season.

UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr, the winner of the Charles Cogen Award at Teacher Union Day on Nov. 2, discovered the value of strength in unity and learning from veterans early in his career.

We have big news. Our 2026 version of the RESPECT check bill has been introduced in the City Council! We knew we would make it happen with this new administration, and now we are on the way to finally taking this over the finish line and giving every...

Richard Carranza is resigning on March 15 after nearly three years as schools chancellor, city officials announced on Feb. 26. Meisha Ross Porter, the Bronx executive superintendent, will succeed him. She will be the first Black woman to hold the...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew discussed partial classroom closures, the 3-foot rule and other topics at the October 2021 Delegate Assembly.

While the national union may seem distant from our activist local in New York City, we are, in fact, an integral part of the AFT. The AFT’s bird’s eye view keeps us involved in national issues and policies that affect the wider labor movement and...

The United Federation of Teachers, joined by individual teachers, filed suit in Manhattan State Supreme Court to stop the Adams administration from cutting as much as $2 billion from city schools.

Here are a few practices to ensure that all students in an ENL class are engaged, challenged and able to facilitate meaningful discussions with each other when studying a novel unit.

It’s time again for Retired Teachers Chapter elections. Every three years, RTC members vote to elect who they want to lead their chapter. 


Each year, RoseAnn Victoria and LeeAnne Thristino, art teachers at IS 34 on Staten Island, team up to present an art show, which includes works from about 300 students who selected art as their minor.

A Herculean effort by the UFT helped turn the largest-ever shortage of New York City public school paraprofessionals into a record number of new paras joining the ranks.

So much information about this new New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan has by now been disseminated through meetings, webinars, town halls, email and regular mail that I hope members have evolved in their views.

A weekly Proofreading Puzzle gives you another opportunity to check in with your students, makes learning visible and develops some of the same skills needed for close reading.

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...

The UFT work with the AFT, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the American Red Cross, the National Black Leadership Commission on Health (NBLCH), and other Human and Civil Rights Advocates to call on the...

To make sure New Yorkers stay safe during the upcoming June 23 primary while encouraging participation, Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently ordered changes to the voting process. To check the spread of the coronavirus, all registered voters may apply for an...

We are heading into another really tough school year. And once again, the mayor waited until the last minute to make major policy decisions regarding public schools.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew predicted that the Trump administration will attack unions and public education.

Digital tools can be helpful additions to physical education classes to enhance student motivation, fine-tune form, accommodate differentiation and offer choices to students.

Assistive technology can be a game changer for special needs students. The following resources can supplement any assistive technology you may already use in your classroom.

Retired high school math teacher Mark Grashow supports the education of thousands of students in rural communities throughout Africa and the Middle East through the nonprofit he founded after retirement, the US-Africa Children's Fellowship.

Hundreds of staff and students from Curtis and Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education high schools on Staten Island, along with parents and community members, participated in a walk against violence on Nov. 26 in response to two gun-related...

Retired bilingual school social worker Eliot Winokur is making a splash in retirement as a competitive swimmer. He holds top 10 rankings on the U.S. Masters Swimming website for the United States and the world and says swimming is both fun and...

UFT members hit the phone lines and fanned out from New York City to Philadelphia and Scranton, Pennsylvania, this fall to campaign for Kamala Harris for president, as well as other pro-union, pro-education candidates down the ballot on Nov. 5.


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...

Educators' extra efforts working collaboratively and leading their students at Francis Lewis HS in Queens paid off with an extra special Black History Month celebration featuring a number of high-profile speakers, including film director Malcolm Lee...

While technology tools cannot and should not replace hands-on art making, these digital resources can be used to bring the arts, which may be otherwise lacking in your students’ school day, into your curriculum in meaningful ways.

Leading with the positive, focusing on a student's specific goals and having parents be assured that an educator has a plan to further their child's needs are among the best ways to have more effective parent-teacher conferences.

Nearly 180 children living in temporary housing gather at UFT headquarters for the union's annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. They enjoyed the dozens of activity tables and an early Thanksgiving dinner before leaving with a new coat, gloves and hat. 


After more than 30 years of teaching world history, retired teacher Deirdre Boyce continues to educate, but as a medical surgical nurse.