As early as March 2020, headlines warned of the “learning loss” that students would experience as a result of disrupted and remote schooling. But that phrase misclassifies the real issue and obscures how teachers can best support their students.

Below is an alphabetical list of member rights. Click on the topic to view an easy-to-follow explanation of that right with links to additional resources and/or contract language.

We've compiled some of our most frequently-asked questions for our members looking for information about retirement and UFT retiree benefits.

A school health and safety plan proposed by the United Federation of Teachers continues to draw broad support from civic leaders. The UFT's position is unless all safeguards are in place, a school cannot open.

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...

Sometimes, informal assessments can be more meaningful and less anxiety-provoking than traditional tests for students. Three informal assessments I use in my high school chemistry classes are 10-Point Bingo, a whiteboard activity and “I Can”...

In the four years since the introduction of A+ credits as part of the 2018 DOE-UFT contract, the course offerings have expanded for teachers working toward their MA+30 salary differential.

With New York City facing a chronic shortage of bilingual special education teachers, the UFT was able to negotiate a new incentive program to encourage tenured special education teachers with a bilingual extension to combine those two specialties.

Miriam Krinick, who turned 100 in November, was honored on Nov. 1 at Brooklyn’s PS 108, where she taught for 18 years, at the unveiling of a Little Yellow Library, a charitable donation to the school from the Kendra Scott Foundation.

Research shows a positive impact on students when teachers and families are able to work together effectively. Here are UFT Teacher Center tips and strategies to establish a solid relationship between home and school.

About 500 new UFT members had the chance to see “How to Dance in Ohio” at Teachers Night on Broadway on Feb. 1. “It was complete joy,” said UFT Vice President Karen Alford, who leads the union’s new member initiative. “The show spoke to all of us as...

For DOE employees, dues are currently set to .85 of one percent of the maximum contractual salary of your title at Step 8B plus 20-year longevity, plus added amounts for the union’s state and national affiliates. So, all the members who are teachers...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew submitted testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Finance regarding the city's executive budget for fiscal year 2027.

Learn how much you are being charged in union dues and how they are calculated.

Officially known as the second differential (C6 + PD), most members achieve the salary differential with the highest pay scale by taking 30 course credits beyond their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. But a lesser-known path to the top differential...

By accumulating college credits, paraprofessionals can significantly increase their pay. Whether your career path as a paraprofessional leads you to earn a bachelor’s degree or to earn a master’s degree and become a certified teacher, several UFT...

The current school-budget crisis is no surprise to many veteran city public school educators. Fiscal turmoil seems to assault our schools every 15 or 20 years. Typically, teachers are called upon to save the day and, for the sake of the children...

The parties recognize the importance of providing day-to-day substitute teachers with the facilities, supplies and support they need in order to carry out their responsibilities in the most professional and effective manner. Teachers should have the...

The UFT offers an array of programs to meet its members' needs.

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.

Since February 2022, the New York State Education Department has changed the requirements for a number of different state certifications. Read the following Q&A for the details.

The Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence (PROSE) program, which affords schools the freedom to experiment and innovate, is marking its 10th anniversary this school year. Nearly 300 teachers, chapter leaders and principals from the...

The UFT represents many employees other than teachers, both in the school system and beyond. Paraprofessionals, school counselors, secretaries and others participate in their local school-based chapters, but they are also part of union-wide...

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

Enhanced student achievement based upon high standards and expectations must be the driving force behind every activity of New York City public schools. To accomplish this, we must reinvent schools so that decision making is shared by those closest...

Read what we are seeking from the city to support our youngest learners so all kids #StartStrong.

Forty art educators representing all five boroughs had their work on display in January at El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in East Harlem at the first New York City Art Teachers Association exhibit since the pandemic began.

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.

Sound homework policy should meaningfully support learning with overwhelming students or teachers. Veteran educators share their strategies for creating homework that’s worthwhile and effective in the age of artificial intelligence



The Bronx plan in the proposed DOE-UFT contract to help schools that face the most challenges will be open to up to 120 schools, not just in the Bronx. These schools will receive additional funds and strategic support to better address the needs of...

In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 4 election, the Retired Teachers Chapter held a dozen afternoon phone banks at UFT headquarters in Manhattan, where RTC members urged fellow retirees to vote for Zohran Mamdani and the union’s other endorsed...

Thousands of New York City public school educators will ramp up a statewide campaign on Tuesday, 1/6, to demand state pension reforms for educators hired after April 2012.

School districts that rely on international exchange programs to hire teachers to address shortages in some subject areas largely opt for J–1 cultural exchange visas. Such districts are feeling the impact of the Trump administration's pause on such...