High school educators and school-related professionals gathered in Shanker Hall at UFT headquarters on April 8 to honor the achievements of exemplary educators, union activists and unified school communities at the 2022 Academic High Schools Awards Celebration.

No. The NY State Education Department allows candidates who have not been able to complete at least three years of acceptable experience for a professional certificate to renew their initial certificate for an additional five years. As of April 27...

As of April 27, 2022, candidates who apply for state certification will no longer need to complete the edTPA exam. Candidates who already have an application on file with the New York State Education Department but have not yet met that requirement...

The following email was sent from School Counselors Chapter Leader Rosemarie Thompson to all school counselors on Tuesday, April 5.

The following email about the clustering process was sent to all social workers and psychologists on April 1, 2022.

We designed the Chapter Leader Hub to provide a one-stop-shop for the documents, forms and guidance you need in your crucial work as a UFT chapter leader. The hub is packed with information specific to your school chapter and contains the forms...

What does addiction look like, and how can our personal biases, experiences and judgments affect the way we view this illness? In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Steven Sulzer, a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, educator and credentialed substance use disorder counselor. He will share his own experience as well as tools and resources we can use when a family member or loved one may be dealing with substance misuse.

Yes, in May 2020, the DOE negotiated new rules for certification, licensing and/or probation for teachers who hold a library license, for teachers of performing arts/drama and for teachers assigned to a special education program who have a non...

A UFT spokesperson issued a statement in response to Mayor Adams' announcement that he was rolling back the COVID vaccine mandate for athletes and performers.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education regarding the NYC FY23 preliminary budget and the preliminary capital commitment plan for FY23-26.

The 14th annual Early Childhood Conference returned to UFT headquarters on March 19, where participants celebrated the theme of "Lighting the Future, Charting the Course."

School counselors using the version of SESIS that was updated on Feb. 28, 2022 may refer to this resource with answers to trending questions.

Excessing is based on budget and student enrollment. When the budget or student enrollment drops, that can result in an excessing condition. Principals have a discretion, subject to review and approval, in determining which programs or license areas...

Your citywide seniority is used—the amount of time you have been working for the DOE. That is compared to the citywide seniority of the other teachers in your school who have the same license as you. In an excessing situation, the least senior person...

There could be an excessing condition at a given 3-K/pre-K site. In such a case, excessing would be done in reverse seniority order. Early childhood-licensed teachers are grouped with common branch teachers, so the least senior teachers with those...

No, schools must meet the mandates for special education and ENL. Sometimes schools attempt to excess a person who is mandated in order for a school to be in compliance, but DOE reviews those excesses and often stops them from happening.

Even as an untenured teacher, excessing does not mean that you are out of a job. When you are excessed, you lose your position in your school, but you do not lose your job, your salary or your medical benefits. You will have the opportunity to find...

The following email was sent from School Counselors Chapter Leader Rosemarie Thompson to all school counselors on Thursday, March 17.

Excessing is the process of reducing staff in a particular school or office when the number of available positions in a title or license area in that school is lower than the number of people in the school who require an assignment in that title or...

On March 15, for the first time in two years, hundreds gathered in Shanker Hall at UFT headquarters in Manhattan. They were CTE educators handpicked by the union to represent excellence in their division, plus family, friends and colleagues. The group celebrated the honorees’ excellent work and the flourishing CTE programs they run in city public schools.

Teaching materials and curriculum resources to address culturally responsive topics in the classroom.

Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers, highlights the crucial role UFT Teacher Centers have played both historically and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and petitions Albany legislators to increase state funding for this...

The trustees of the New York City Teachers’ Retirement System have voted to “prudently divest” from Russian securities “to ensure the long-term stability of our pension system.”

“We Make a Difference” was the theme at this year’s UFT Paraprofessionals Festival and Awards Luncheon, which celebrated paraprofessionals at Shanker Hall on March 5 for rising to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York city and state teachers unions, joined by parents, have filed a lawsuit against SUNY and its Charter Schools Institute to block the creation of a new charter high school in New York City that would illegally pierce the state cap on new...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued a statement in response to Mayor Eric Adams' announcement that masks would become optional for students over age 5 in schools effective March 7, 2022.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew testified before the New York State Senate and New York City Committees on Education and the New York State Assembly Committee on Education regarding mayoral control of New York City public schools.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued a statement in response to a judge's ruling on the Medicare Advantage Plus plan.

To commemorate Women's History Month in March, the UFT has compiled a list of teaching materials, online exhibits and curriculum to address the role of women in society in our classrooms.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued a statement in response to Chancellor David Banks' March 2 policy address.

The UFT is enhancing its Welfare Fund optical benefit and hearing aid benefit for in-service members and retirees effective March 1, 2022.

As part of its campaign to raise awareness about bullying and intolerance, the United Federation of Teacher’s BRAVE Program (Building Respect, Acceptance and Voice through Education) sponsors an annual video contest.

UFT Vice President for Education Mary Vaccaro submitted testimony to the New York City Council Education Committee oversight hearing on COVID impact on English language learners.

Federation of Nurses/UFT members employed by NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn on Feb. 24 overwhelmingly ratified a three-year contract that provides solid salary increases while making inroads in addressing the universal problem of staffing shortages.

Learn practices, techniques and resources that can be used in school-based settings to identify survivors of domestic violence and support their health and well-being. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Jules Perkél, a trauma psychotherapist and clinical social worker, will discuss the most commonly seen behaviors of survivors of domestic violence and the best practices when working with those who have experienced this trauma.