Three teachers in Queens — the New York City borough with the most overcrowded classrooms — drive home the benefits of the state's class size law, which mandates smaller numbers of students per class, by sharing their experiences from the front lines...

Teachers and students should be able to focus on learning, rather than on whether ICE agents are stationed nearby looking for parents and caregivers. The UFT calls on the city and Department of Education to update its policies and protocols regarding...

Congratulations to PS 35 in Queens. This is union power. Thank you for fighting to uphold our contractual rights. We all should be proud of the staff of PS 35, their chapter leader, their district representative, the UFT Grievance Department, the UFT...

Preserving opportunities for play and experiential learning in early childhood and elementary education is not a departure from academic excellence; it is an investment in the well-rounded development and long-term success of every child.

What a thrill it was to see our event publicized in the New York Teacher newspaper! You wrote such a lovely description of our event and included great photos from two of the plays and one consisting of the group.

Smaller classes mean teachers spend less time correcting behavior while having more time to help students learn. Fewer students in class = more success stories.

The city doesn’t realize its impact on educators. Stagnant wages make it impossible for educators to cover basic expenses.

A Brooklyn chapter leader calls the reduction of retirement age a major victory while emphasizing that the fight for additional improvements continues.

Chapter Leader Shaudé Tyson knows that developing and retaining excellent educators is a must if students are to succeed. That’s why, besides her work as the chapter leader her Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, school Tyson focuses much of her energies...

Learn all about the UFT's offerings this summer of high-quality, affordable classes to help educators earn CTLE credits and/or A+ or P credits. 


The UFT has struck a deal with the city Department of Education to have some teachers compensated as much as $9,500 due to delayed compliance with state class size law mandates.

The UFT provided City Council members with education about the value of key union initiatives, including the paraprofessional RESPECT check bill, United Community Schools and the NYC Childcare Navigator during its annual legislative breakfast.

Second-year teacher Taylor Rettig of IS 93 in Ridgewood, Queens, has found pedagogical success by building inclusive curricular units for her 6th grade ENL science students. Her tactics encourage students of all language proficiencies to participate...

A cluster teacher at PS 372, The Children’s School, in Brooklyn, shows off the LEGO wall he's built in his classroom to support the educational needs of his District 75 students.

The UFT gave out $5,000 college scholarships to 164 high school students and 12 graduate students at the 57th annual Albert Shanker College Scholarship Awards Ceremony on June 2 at UFT headquarters. 


The UFT’s New Member Initiative and Member Assistance Program welcomed new educators this school year with activity-based events in all five boroughs to foster fun, community and learning. 


Over 100 students, family members and educators gathered in Shanker Hall on May 21 to celebrate Students of NYC, a UFT social media initiative highlighting the stories of middle and high school students.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew reminded the more than 1,100 educators at this year's Spring Education Conference that they are the protectors of students' hopes and dreams as he praised members' tenacity in rallying them to continue standing up to...

More than 2,000 UFT members and their families turned out to a sports center facility on Long Island for a weekend day of games, bounce houses, food and fun for the fourth annual UFT Family Day.

More than 250 guests gathered in Shanker as the UFT School Secretaries Chapter honored 25 school secretaries at its annual Awards Soiree.

The UFT School Nurses Chapter recognized members' critical work on National School Nurse Day at the chapter’s annual School Nurses Appreciation Dinner, held at UFT headquarters on May 6.

About 85 parents, educators and community members explored topics like healthy masculinity, implicit bias and relationship skills at the UFT’s Men in Education conference.

Over 200 honorees and guests attended the inaugural Middle Schools Awards at UFT headquarters in Manhattan, where some 40 members were honored for excellence in education, collaboration and union activism.

UFT members enjoy robust retirement benefits, often the envy of workers outside the union's ranks. Union leaders urged members at its second Pension Expo to support efforts to guarantee such benefits for all U.S. workers.

Hundreds of middle school students took part in social-emotional learnng at the sixth annual Let’s Talk About It event in Queens, brought by the UFT’s Member Assistance Program (MAP), the MindUP social-emotional learning program and the UFT Teacher...

About 200 UFT members and guests attended the UFT Asian American Heritage Committee's celebration of AANHPI (Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month.

More than 200 UFT members, faith leaders and parent advocates gathered at the UFT Faith-Based Breakfast in Shanker Hall on April 29 to discuss how religious communities can support families and schools.

Strength, resilience, solidarity, advocacy, leadership, dedication, compassion and an unwavering commitment to excellence—these were among the qualities celebrated at the Federation of Nurses/UFT’s annual Nurse Recognition Awards.
The celebration...

The UFT raised about $7,000 at this year’s AIDS Walk in Central Park, which raised money for organizations specializing in HIV/AIDS services, public health and social justice.

Some 300 members joined the UFT's Academic High Schools division to celebrate a broad spectrum of contributions across the city’s public school system. Excellence in Education awards honored teachers recognized for innovative pedagogy, while...

A record 550 members and guests turned out for the District 11 Scholarship Dinner, where for the eighth year District Representative Dana Falciglia has organized the event to celebrate the successes of the Bronx district.

Some 200 members and guests gathered as the UFT Speech Improvement Chapter hosted its 20th annual celebration of National Speech-Language-Hearing Month. 
Award-winning topics and projects, including those that raised awareness about cerebral palsy...

Hundreds of early childhood educators gathered at UFT Headquarters to address a serious topic: the power of play. The UFT’s 18th annual Early Childhood Conference integrated the theme “learning through play” throughout the joyous events of the day —...

Some 500 UFT members enjoyed a performance of Broadway's "Buena Vista Social Club," the featured event of this year's Educators Night on Broadway, an annual collaboration between the Broadway League and the UFT.

Read the June 2026 newsletter from the Middle Schools Division.

The UFT Contract Negotiating Committee, made up of over 600 members, will begin in June to chart union strategy for negotiating the next DOE-UFT contract.