We have a lot to be happy with regarding the state of the RTC chapter. We have debates of retiree issues and an enhanced voting process. But I am concerned that Zoom is hurting the quality of our union engagement.

Our country now feels like a dangerous and scary place. And yet, I don’t despair. I’m encouraged to see UFT members taking to the streets and uniting in protest with our fellow union members on a grand scale.

UFT Vice President Richard Mantell writes that the holidays may be long over, but the giving is not. It’s what we educators do. We provide our students with the resources they need to succeed in life, whether it’s educating them in the classroom...

Veronica Herrera supports students making their postsecondary plans at Hillcrest HS in Jamaica. "High school students are discovering who they are, and it’s wonderful to be a part of that conversation," she said.

UFT Vice President MaryJo Ginese writes that a half-century after the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which required an "appropriate education" for students with disabilities, the city DOE still has work to do.

This morning, the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC), the umbrella group of city municipal unions, met and voted to approve the plan, with the UFT casting its vote in accordance with the Delegate Assembly’s vote.

Candy Jorge, a Spanish teacher at Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School in Manhattan, came to the United States from her native Dominican Republic at the age of 17 with nothing. Now the 9th-grade team leader develops and implements...

Queens middle school teacher Laeticia Charles offers a sense of emotional connection and safety to the students she teaches in her second year at MS 137, elevating her students' academics in the process.

Learn about your pension benefit distribution options.

The cold, short days of late winter can drain even the most enthusiastic teachers and students. Seasoned educators know that keeping kids — and themselves — engaged and energetic requires some strategic planning. Here are a few tips from veterans to...

Monique Scrubb teaches professional and conversational English to adult students as an English as a second language teacher at the DOE’s Brooklyn Adult Learning Center.

Parents, a teacher, and the UFT filed a lawsuit in Manhattan State Supreme Court charging that the New York City Department of Education violated state education law and its own regulations when it sought to co-locate two Success Academy charter...

Fourth-year teacher and sustainability coordinator Amanda Cleary launched a garden club at P 37, a District 75 school on Staten Island, and along with vegetables and flowers, pride and a sense of responsibility are nurtured there.

Canva is a popular online graphic design platform that has made premium features available to K-12 teachers for free. Canva for Education offers sophisticated designs that are easily customizable with templates created expressly for educators.

Retiree Peggy Keyes establised a model train museum to raise money for pancreatic cancer research in honor of her husband, who died of the disease.

Take advantage of all that August offers for your mental and physical health by following these tips for summer bliss, relaxation and safety.

Jennifer Figueroa believes that anyone can be an artist. And the Bronx native, now in her third year of teaching art at PS 178 in Co-op City, knows that an expansive definition of "artist" helps kids take pride in all kinds of creativity.

Will Dulin, a third-year teacher at Pathways to Graduation in Jamaica, Queens, takes pains to truly see his CTE students, helping them to forge pathways to educational success even when they can't quite envision them themselves.

New special education teacher Emily Hang Duong, who teaches math and science at IS 234 in Brooklyn, motivates her students by never letting them forget that they have every opportunity to grow.

The UFT is making it easier for NYC families to find child care. NYC Childcare Navigator is an expansion of an online tool the union launched a year ago to help members find child care options and apply for programs that could offset the cost.

I’m proud that the UFT led the charge at the bargaining table and even prouder that we modeled participatory unionism at its best in the process leading up to the Municipal Labor Committee’s final vote on the new plan on Sept. 30. From the beginning...

Contract enforcement all starts with understanding what the new agreement entails. Everyone should read the new contract — it’s the most important living document we as UFT members have.

We launched our “6” days campaign on Dec. 6. On the sixth of every month, schools will participate in coordinated actions to educate members about the need to fix Tier 6 of the pension system, build visibility and show collective strength.

The results of New York State’s standardized tests showed the pandemic took a toll on math education in New York City public schools that was in line with a national trend, even as student reading scores improved slightly in contrast to the declines...

With the new state budget mandating that New York City make smaller class sizes a priority, UFT President Michael Mulgrew identified 856 high-need city schools with space to reduce class sizes this September.

As a paraprofessional in the Vision Education Services Chapter, which serves about 900 blind and visually impaired students citywide, Lucio Medina acts as a guide and advocate for the students he supports.

Candidates for New York City mayor must fulfill a new prerequisite this year if they want to be considered for the UFT’s endorsement: They have to spend a day in a New York City public school classroom helping educators.

Theresa Aponte is a family child care provider in East New York, Brooklyn, and a “second mother” to children who attend her in-home day care center while their parents work.

The following email was sent to DOE-employed UFT members and pre-Medicare-eligible retirees on April 29, 2025, from Geof Sorkin, Executive Director of the UFT Welfare Fund.

On May 24, thousands of UFT members showed up at our simultaneous contract rallies in all five boroughs to make their voices heard. We joined together in a sea of blue with handmade signs, rallying cries and a determination to fight for more respect...

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.

Educators at Boerum Hill School for International Studies in Brooklyn have banded together with students, parents and PTA leaders to demand the city reallocate classroom space being underutilized by a Success Academy charter school.

Scammers more often target retirees because they're more likely to have savings, good credit and less experience with technology. But retirees can sniff out whether a scammer is at work if they take heed of “the four p’s,” authorities say. Scammers...

The UFT is pushing New York State to update the formula it uses to allocate Foundation Aid to better reflect the actual cost of education and the particular needs of each school district’s students.

It’s always a good idea to speak with your family about what to do in the event of a debilitating illness or death. Here is a list of topics to discuss with your family and the legal documents you should have. Let trusted family members know where...

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.