Learn the basics about the UFT, a trade union of teachers, nurses and other education and health professionals in New York City.

The Retired Teachers Chapter is a dynamic organization of over 67,000 members shaped by political activism and committed to protecting and improving retiree benefits — considered the nation’s best among public school teachers. Its vast and varied...

Lesson study is a standards-based collaborative process used to improve instruction. One of the goals of this instructional planning model is to identify academic achievement gaps and students’ challenges. Teachers will then examine and refine...

Here are some items to take care of right away and others that will help you prioritize and stay on track.

Move-to-Improve is a free classroom-based physical activity program that helps elementary school teachers in district public schools enhance their lessons by integrating physical activity into academic instruction to get students moving.

Hear from fellow educators about the crucial educational and socio-emotional skills 3-K and pre-K programs provide to our youngest students.

The UFT works closely with thousands of parents across the city to help ensure that their children and all New York City students receive a great education.

CookShop, the federally funded nutrition education program of the Food Bank For New York City, helps children, teens and adults develop the nutrition knowledge and cooking skills to make healthy food choices on a limited budget, and fosters...

UFT members are guaranteed a dignified and secure retirement that includes a defined-benefit pension.

The best place to get informed and involved is your local school. The principal at your school is ultimately responsible for addressing any concerns you may have. But, in addition to working with your principal, there are other ways to gather...

Under New York State law, appointed educators achieve tenure after completing a probationary period.

Sandra Feldman (1939-2005), was elected in May 1997 as president of the 1.3 million-member American Federation of Teachers. She was the 15th president of the AFT and the union’s first female president since 1930. She also was elected to the Executive...

The Peer Intervention Program has successfully helped thousands of teachers in schools throughout New York City. Why not you? It is a proactive step toward professional growth! Here are some common questions and their answers.

Learn about the health and wellness programs the UFT supports with our partners and about our partners in promoting the health of our students, colleagues and communities.

Our scholarship program, which began in 1969, was renamed in Albert Shanker’s memory in 1997. He was the New York City teacher who became president of both this union and our national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers. More than anyone...

As part of its campaign to raise awareness about bullying and intolerance, the United Federation of Teacher’s BRAVE Program (Building Respect, Acceptance and Voice through Education) sponsors an annual video contest.

Brilliant and articulate, no one ever doubted that Rebecca Simonson had a way with words. But it wasn't so much poetry as strategy that led the leader of the Teachers Guild in the 1940s to compare organizing to "opening a flower one petal at a time."

Speech teachers have seniority and excessing rights in their schools. Members cannot be moved from a school unless there is a compelling reason for the excessing situation. If there is more than one speech teacher in the school, the senior teacher in...

Not far from the UFT’s Park Avenue South headquarters, Al Shanker sits stiffly in the study of his apartment. Physically, he’s not himself.

Alice Marsh, the UFT's first legislative rep in Albany, was the only child of a working single mother who insisted she go on to high school while the rest of her elementary school graduating class went off to work.

They made for an odd couple. Henry Linville, soft-spoken and almost courtly, with neither the temperament nor talent for personal confrontation. Not so his longtime and much younger sidekick Abraham Lefkowitz. “He was a fighter,” remembers Ruben...

Like the others who gave up their nights and weekends for the collective bargaining campaign in 1961, June Temple was a dutiful foot soldier. She could live with the long exhausting hours and no pay — not even car fare. But for some there were worse...

If you are concerned about possible procedure violations in your Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR), ask your chapter leader about the APPR resolution assistance process.

The UFT is committed to strengthening our communities, our profession and the lives of our members and our students.

Department of Education and City Salary Schedules

As the UFT’s fourth president, serving from 1998 to 2009, Randi Weingarten led the union through a period of economic instability, two contentious city administrations and mounting attacks on the labor movement and public education. She relished...

Just like a union, a professional organization represents the interests of its members. Banding together, members may be able to provide products and services to those who join — perhaps magazine subscriptions or professional development or insurance...

15 benefits of the UFT's Retired Teachers Chapter

Learn more about opportunties through NYIT.

Planning to retire? Here's the information you need.

Over the years, the United Federation of Teachers has grown to include many different kinds of educators and school-based professionals who share common interests and concerns. These various groups have formed chapters of their own, known as...

Find more resources about special classes.

Save the date and join us at an upcoming event sponsored by NYCATA/UFT.

Karen Alford is vice president for elementary schools. She spearheads the union's United Community Schools initiative, which strengthens schools by offering wraparound health and social services in the school building for the entire community.