Yes. The New York State Board of Regents voted to eliminate the general core in liberal arts and sciences (LAS) requirement for certification, which included coursework in the following areas: artistic expression, communication, information retrieval...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew has won his fifth term as the union’s president. Mulgrew, the Unity Caucus candidate, received 66.3 percent of the votes counted, while his closest competitor, United For Change candidate Camille Eterno, received 33.6...

Yes, to help alleviate persistent statewide shortage areas in the sciences, which include biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics, NYSED has revised the content core requirement from 30 credits to 18 credits for anyone already holding a...

Yes, NYSED created a new Literacy (All Grades) certificate which may be applied for through the individual evaluation pathway as of June 29, 2022. This new Literacy (All Grades) certificate replaced the Literacy (Birth-Grade 6) and Literacy (Grades 5...

Studies have shown being outdoors can lessen blood pressure, sharpen your focus, improve your mood and, when combined with physical activities such as walking, hiking or swimming, lessen depression and boost your immune system.

Grief is an intensely personal experience, which can look very different from one person to the next. There is no "right" way to grieve. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Ashley Groesbeck, a clinical social worker, and Alain Metellus, the UFT’s director of crisis intervention, for a discussion of ways we can validate the experience for the bereaved and help them, or ourselves, to accept and move through the grieving process.

The UFT’s 500-member negotiating committee convened on March 30 to lay the groundwork for talks with the city and the Department of Education on a new wage contract to replace the agreement that will expire on Sept. 13.

When Cara Jacofsky began her teaching career 23 years ago, she was determined to become the best teacher she could be for her students, so she connected with the UFT Teacher Center. “The first few years of my teaching career, they would plan lessons...

A shoutout to Jason Bentsen, the first-year chapter leader at IS 72 on Staten Island, for solving the safety issue of doors at the school that had no locks and sometimes even no doorknobs.

A member of the UFT's Teachers Assigned Chapter, Lindsey “Desi” Desmond provides targeted support to teachers and administrators who work with the city’s youngest students.

UFT Vice President for Academic High Schools Janella Hinds writes that high school educators routinely face challenges, and during the pandemic, we found little joy. Connecting with our quest for joy in our craft remains an undeniable part of our...

The UFT enhanced its Welfare Fund optical benefit and hearing aid benefit for in-service members and retirees on March 1.

UFT members who have been horrified by the devastation and death caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine can help the embattled nation’s educators by contributing to the UFT Disaster Relief Fund.

The trustees of the New York City Teachers’ Retirement System voted on March 7 to divest its holdings in Russian securities in protest of the war against Ukraine launched by Vladimir Putin. “We have to stand up for justice,” said UFT President...

Here are some best practices that secondary school teachers can use to improve writing in any subject.

Whether you are a new member, in mid-career or close to retirement, there are steps you can take to learn about your pension benefits and stay on track as you progress down the road to a financially secure retirement.

Staten Island University Hospital South nurses represented by the Federation of Nurses/UFT on March 27 ratified a three-year contract that provides three annual raises of 3% each, a $1,000 ratification bonus and, most significant, moves nurses hired...

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...

Ira Faber, coordinator of the Retired Teachers Chapter's Suffolk section on Long Island, has seen an uptick in attendance at Si Beagle courses since they became virtual during the pandemic.

Deborah Dolan, a retired literacy instructor, is a member of the Vital Volunteers of the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, helping to create an awareness of the Bronx park among its users and to plant the seeds for nurturing the park well into the future.

Medicare-eligible UFT retirees will remain in their current health plans for the time being after a state judge’s ruling triggered a delay in the launch of the New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan.

The new New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan brought challenges, but a court decision led Michael Mulgrew to demand that the city pause implementation of the plan. This pause means we can exhale over the next few months, and edge back to our...

There is a lot at stake in the 2022 Florida midterm elections, with races for the governor’s office, a U.S. Senate seat and congressional seats. Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Tom Murphy and political action coordinators in Florida are seeking...

The past two years have proven that New York City is home to some of the most skilled and hard-working educators in the country. The highest form of respect comes when education policy makers really listen to what these classroom educators have to...

It’s difficult to become a coach in the National Football League; there are only 32 teams. Lou Anarumo, the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, followed an arduous road to get there. And on Feb. 13, that road, which began at Susan...

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.

In a deal that promises to accelerate labor organizing on campuses, the governing councils of the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers in March agreed to a formal affiliation that would unite nearly...

Minneapolis educators approved a new contract nearly three weeks after going on strike for higher wages, smaller class sizes, protections for educators of color and mental health support.

Minneapolis educators approved a new contract nearly three weeks after going on strike for higher wages, smaller class sizes, protections for educators of color and mental health support.

A coalition of parents and teachers at PS 28 in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx, drawing on the expertise of UFT organizer Betty Zohar, formed in December to prod the police and local officials to clean up the school's entrance, where drug users...

Creating video projects with students is a way to bring the impact and allure of video into the classroom while modeling for them how the medium can be used for teaching and learning.

The UFT connected its members with their state representatives in online meetings from March 7-11 to champion the union’s proven programs — including the United Community Schools initiative, the UFT Teacher Center and the Positive Learning...

Workers’ compensation can provide valuable benefits to full- or part-time paraprofessionals, school nurses, occupational or physical therapists, administrative employees and substance abuse prevention/intervention specialists who have a work-related...

The teacher leader team at IS 145 in Jackson Heights, Queens, has stepped up to help keep pace with the changing needs of the students and the teachers at the school, which is located in one of the city’s most ethnically diverse neighborhoods.

Natalie Kavral is a 2011 graduate of the plumbing program at Queens Technical High School. Now, more than a decade later, Kavral, one of only two female plumbing teachers in New York City public schools, teaches plumbing and runs the plumbing program...