About a thousand members of the union's Social Workers and Psychologists Chapter gathered online and another 380 in person for a day of professional development, networking and bonding on Jan. 27.

Social studies teacher and Big Apple Award fellow Jay Maqsood discusses the merits of concept mapping to help students better retain and synthesize complex information and sets of data points.

While technology tools cannot and should not replace hands-on art making, these digital resources can be used to bring the arts, which may be otherwise lacking in your students’ school day, into your curriculum in meaningful ways.

Paraprofessionals across the city have embraced the opportunity to participate at long last in Teacher’s Choice.
After years of advocacy by the union, paraprofessionals were included in the program beginning in the 2023-24 school year. Learn how...

If you are planning to retire in the next year or two, now is the time to start preparing. It may seem early, but trust us, it’s not. 
The UFT Pension Department is here for you to assist in your transition to retirement.


Healthy social relationships are a key to greater happiness and life satisfaction. Here are ways to cultivate strong social ties.

UFT Vice President for Career and Technical Education High Schools Leo Gordon writes that as the Success Via Apprenticeship program celebrates its 40th year, it is imperative that this unique pathway for new CTE teachers receive the support and...

Union leaders and representatives from the union’s private, nonprofit and Department of Education functional chapters gathered at union headquarters on Jan. 16 to kick off a new union initiative intended to showcase and amplify the work of members in...

The fact is our paraprofessionals cannot survive in this city on a starting salary of just under $32,000. Without offering more money, the DOE cannot hope to retain and recruit enough paraprofessionals. 


The provisions in the DOE-UFT contract regarding program preferences and professional activity assignments give teachers a voice about which classes they will teach the following year and which professional activities they are assigned.

Teaching artists at Lincoln Center, who are represented by the UFT, have reached agreement on a new five-year contract with significant economic gains and more input to help shape the type of education they provide.

Established in 2009, the UFT’s Member Assistance Program (MAP) provides tools for coping with the full range of life’s challenges, such as work-related stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, bereavement and substance use disorders. 


President Trump's executive order to end "radical indoctrination" is devoid of any compassion for the struggles of young people who are living or considering living as a person of the opposite gender. Nor does it acknowledge our role as educators in...

We will continue to fight for schools to remain safe zones. Our students deserve an education free from fear, humiliation and trauma. Children should feel safe and protected at all times, and when they are with us in our schools, we will ensure that...

New city legislation requires that city-owned property, including public schools, generate at least 100 megawatts of electricity from solar panels by 2030 and 150 megawatts by 2035. The bill is a boon for the environment, public health, affordable...

More than 5,500 UFT members are employed by organizations other than the Department of Education. They are members of the union’s private and nonprofit chapters. Meet the leaders of those chapters.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation to set a maximum classroom temperature of 88 degrees in public schools following a campaign led by the UFT and its state affiliate NYSUT. The new law takes effect in September 2025.


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.

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. 


After a huge citywide push driven by school chapter leaders, more than 750 New York City public schools applied for funding to lower class sizes next school year.

Union leaders and representatives from the union’s private, nonprofit and Department of Education functional chapters gathered at union headquarters on Jan. 16 to kick off a new union initiative intended to showcase and amplify the work of members in...

Federation of Nurses/UFT members who are licensed practical nurses with VNS Health overwhelmingly ratified a contract on Jan. 27 that provides a 7.5% increase in base pay over two years while establishing the employer’s contractual obligation to...

More than 20,000 UFT members now have their choice of pension systems after a campaign led by members of the UFT Occupational and Physical Therapists Chapter. 


Bringing the staff “together” has been the main objective of Nicole Keaster since becoming chapter leader at IS 5 in Queens three years ago. “If you have a strong community of respect, you can do all of the other things,” she said. 


Union members enrolled in the UFT Welfare Fund and their eligible dependents can now get eyeglasses or contact lenses more frequently, for less money out of pocket and from more optical stores than ever.

New York State law was recently amended to require that all DOE employees who are mandated reporters, including all classroom teachers, take additional training in the area of identifying and reporting child abuse and maltreatment/neglect.

Tax time is approaching and here's what educators should know what deductions they can take on their federal income taxes.

The UFT has created a new telehealth benefit for members who are not eligible for city health insurance. UFT members who are substitute paraprofessionals, per-diem teachers and members of the union’s ADAPT Community Network Chapter can now access...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew joined City Council Education Committee Chair Rita Joseph and other Council members outside City Hall on Jan. 30 to announce proposed legislation that would provide a recurring annual payment of $10,000 to full-time...

Days after the Trump administration rescinded a longstanding federal policy that made schools off limits to immigration raids, the UFT held a workshop about how educators can support undocumemented students and their families.

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.

The UFT in 2018 was the first municipal union in New York City to secure paid parental leave for its members. Parents of any gender may be eligible to take UFT parental leave following the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child under the...

“Be kind, rewind” is a slogan that disappeared with VHS tapes, but it succinctly illustrates the basic elements of kindness: Even a small, seemingly trivial act can make life a little better for someone you don’t know.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew penned an open letter to Mayor Adams regarding member concerns about the safety of our immigrant students.

The UFT will advocate for tenured teachers who receive a “No Rating” due to their leave of absence to have their observation requirements determined based on their most recent full-year rating.