A. Restriction on Union Activities No attendance teacher shall engage in Union activities during the time he/she is assigned to duty. Members of the Chapter's negotiating committee and its special consultants shall, upon proper application, be...

The state passed legislation extending the timeline for full implementation of the class size law. The extension brings the compliance rate to 70% for 2026-27, 80% for 2027-28, 90% for 2028-29 and 100% by 2029-30. As a result of this extension...

After striking for more than three weeks in November, the Portland, Oregon school district and the union representing teachers, school counselors and other employees reached an agreement that boosts salaries and planning time. But the new contract...

This school year, as outside consultants took over most of the training, teachers grew increasingly frustrated with their lack of voice and the lack of support. So we headed to the bargaining table to demand changes. The revised curriculum policy...

The expectations that society puts on teachers are as old as time, but this year, it’s gone to a whole new level. I knew going into this year we would have our work cut out for us.

UFT members expressed their growing concern with the Trump administration’s policies and the threat of cuts to education funding by rallying in the streets and wearing red in schools as part of an AFT national Day of Action.

The UFT posthumously honored two accomplished members who died this year and presented their families with memorial plaques: Ron Jones, a former vice president for elementary schools, and Richard Miller, a former vice president of middle schools.


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...

NYCATA/UFT's mission is to encourage and support art educators in their profession and to advocate for quality art programs at all levels of education and in our communities.

A. Mission. To achieve success and outstanding results through a truly collaborative environment for all schools at all levels among the key stakeholders responsible for educating New York City’s schoolchildren – teachers and other school-based staff...

As a paraprofessional interested in an education career, the UFT’s Career Training Program helped me obtain a DOE voucher to earn my bachelor’s in early childhood education and psychology

The youngest of seven children, Martha Straus grew up on the Lower East Side. "There was no starvation but there were no luxuries either," she says. Her father and older brother took part in the 1910 cloak makers strike that came to be known as "the...

More than two dozen new members from Manhattan schools turned out for some food, fun and fellowship on Jan. 24 at the UFT's new member event at a Manhattan bowling lounge.

The process for arranging Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS) is structured to ensure timely support for students. Learn more »

Tom Murphy, the union's political director for 16 years and the chair of the Retired Teachers Chapter for 15, received the Charles Cogen Award, the union's highest honor, at Teacher Union Day on Nov. 3.

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...

Spring was in the air on March 19 at the UFT’s 14th annual Early Childhood Conference, where laughter, play and learning emerged after a difficult winter for nearly 400 educators — a blend of in-person participants at UFT headquarters and remote...

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sept. 8 signed into law landmark legislation that will lower class sizes in New York City by a third over the next six years, closing a decades-long gap in class sizes between the city and the rest of the state.

Use this complaint form to ask your principal for assistance in resolving an issue with the implementation of the teacher evaluation system. You must file this form within five school days of knowledge of the act or occurrence that led to this...

New York City public school educators delivered testimony before the Rockefeller Institute of Government’s hearing on the state Foundation Aid Formula.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew delivered testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Education on the city's preliminary budget for fiscal year 2026.

In presenting the Cogen Award to UFT Treasurer Debra Penny, UFT President Michael Mulgrew spoke of her compassion. “It’s the humanity she brings to her job at all times,” he said. “She’s just a person who never stops caring.”

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...

As a result of intense negotiations with the DOE over educators’ concerns with the NYC Reads curriculum, the city Department of Education has released key policy updates to all elementary school educators and principals.

You can call Retiree Programs at 212-598-6879, check out the Retiree Programs section of the UFT website (http://www.uft.org/chapters/retirees/programs), the Guide to Retiree Programs on our website ( http://www.uft.org/health-benefits/retiree...

Step One: The component ratings you received through observations will be combined into a MOTP rating of either Highly Effective, Effective, Developing, or Ineffective. Step Two: Your student learning measures will be combined into a MOSL rating of...

For some teachers, summer is the time to take teacher institutes offered by notable organizations across the country that provide practical and unique learning experiences expressly designed for educators. 


Thanks to the PROSE program, Concord HS, a transfer high school for students ages 16 to 21 on Staten Island, has been able to revamp its school hours to meet the needs of its unique student population, who have not thrived in a traditional high...

A basic tenet of the UFT has always been that organized labor and progressive elected officials are essential to promoting the interests of its members. Indeed, the backing of the labor movement and political allies was instrumental in the UFT’s...

As any seasoned teacher will tell you, it’s important to start the school year off on a good note. Along with essentials like reviewing classroom rules and units of study, ice breakers play a key role in setting the right tone and building rapport...

Joel I Klein Chancellor Department of Education 52 Chambers Street New York, NY 10007 November 17, 2007 Randi Weingarten President United Federation of Teachers 52 Broadway New York, NY 10002 Dear Ms. Weingarten: Notwithstanding any provision of the...

Bronx teacher Jamala Roper asked her 5th-graders to reveal their emotions “to” their masks. "Every emotion you can think of was shared behind their masks," she says.

The School recognizes the UFT as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of teachers, guidance counselors, teacher assistants, school aides, librarians and substitute teachers who had received a reasonable assurance of continuing...

It was the Depression and even the salesgirls at Macy's were required to stand 5-foot-5 and have a college degree. Rose Schuyler had the diploma, but not the reach.

Pets in the Classroom, a program that gives financial support to pre-K through 9th-grade teachers for small animals to keep in their classrooms, provides teachers with one initial voucher or rebate to purchase a pet and necessary supplies and then a...

A. Applicability Per diem substitutes covered by this Agreement are: Full-term substitutes: serving after the fifteenth day of the school term for the duration of that term in a full-time or regularly scheduled part-time position; Other-than...