"You have all gone above and beyond the call of duty," UFT President Michael Mulgrew said at the UFT's annual Teacher Union Day on Nov. 7 that honored the courage and hard work of members during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Albert Shanker was born to immigrants from Czarist Russia, Morris, who delivered newspapers, and Mamie, a garment worker holding union cards in both the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union.

Ready to apply for a new opportunity or wish to transfer to a new school? This Q and A explains what educators need to know about the Open Market Transfer Plan.

Public schools in New York city may hire external teachers (not currently employed by the Department of Education) in certain license areas and are restricted in others.

This summer, the union launched Childcare Connection, a benefit to help UFT members find out if they qualify for free or reduced-cost child care as well as to find home-based child care providers near their home or work.


The UFT has asked the State Education Department to investigate the city Department of Education for its continued failure to provide mandated special education services to students.

The Delegate Assembly approved resolutions to support paraprofessionals' fight for a living wage and better benefits; acknowledge the work of the union's founders on the UFT's 64th anniversary; and honor the impact that women have had on the union.

At the UFT’s annual city legislative breakfast, 28 City Council members heard how critical an annual “RESPECT check” would be in reversing the paraprofessional shortage in schools. They also heard appeals from union representatives for continued city...

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.

One of the many benefits of union membership is having paid leave to rest and recuperate when you are sick. Learn how UFT members earn, use and even borrow days from their Cumulative Absence Reserve.


The chapter leader at PS/IS 384 in Brooklyn urges his fellow UFT members to fight to "Fix Tier 6" and improve retirement and pension benefits.

After years of advocacy by the UFT, paraprofessionals will be included in the Teacher’s Choice program for the first time this school year.


That success depends on your community is something I only truly understood after my first year of teaching. When I was a para, I was committed to supporting my students and my teachers. When I first became a teacher, I forgot that I needed to ask...

As his fledgling union teetered on the brink of a strike, Albert Shanker was the linchpin of a last-minute settlement that laid out the goals that would dominate his thinking for the rest of his life.

Special classes offer different levels of staffing intensity depending upon the intensity of a student's academic and/or management needs.

Are you concerned about paying back your student loans? The Student Debt Relief Program, brought to you by the UFT, is here to help.

Vibrant Emotional Health, one of the nation’s leading mental health organizations, announces a new partnership with the UFT to introduce a mental health and emotional well-being helpline designed for its union members.

The UFT Health & Safety committee offers environmental health workshops to our members on staff development days, extended days, union meetings, etc. If you would like to have one of these workshops offered at your school, please contact us.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew commends members on the new heights of union activism this year, especially in their advocacy for Tier 6 reform among state lawmakers and to push for passage of RESPECT check legislation in the City Council. He urges...

The deadline to complete Special Education Remote Learning Plans has been extended to Wednesday, April 8.

Ten students from P396 K, a District 75 school in Brownsville, Brooklyn, read books they wrote during a Zoom presentation on Feb. 11, as part of an evening with the Sid Miller Academy Authors, a program begun during the pandemic to foster literacy...

Summer is a good time to check on any outstanding items needed for state certification or to review state education policies if you are being appointed under a different license this upcoming school year. Read answers to common questions below and be...

The requirements for New York State certificates can be found at www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert. There are no separate requirements for a New York City license other than the availability of a vacancy in the certificate area and the recommendation of a...

A student-friendly book and seminar on food allergies was created by Fatima Straughn, a paraprofessional at MS 45 in the Bronx, as a way to teach young children about the effects of food allergies.

Colleagues and students create a mosaic mural to remember Rulx Dagus, a paraprofessional at P 369K in Park Slope, Brooklyn, who died of COVID-19.

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.

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.

A Staten Island paraprofessional presses for passage of the "RESPECT" check, reminding the public that she and her colleagues are as deserving as any of greater compensation.

You may take off up to four days for the purposes of bereavement, at any point in the three months after the date of death of a covered family member. Form OP 201 is required.

A Brooklyn teacher expresses her gratitude for the care and dedication paraprofessionals demonstrate for students daily.

You must have New York State certification to be hired for a full-time teaching position in New York City. The position must match the state certificate. New York City no longer issues a separate paper license, but there is still a license...