After a year in which instruction was disrupted by the pandemic, that back-to-basics approach of phonics-based reading instruction may be especially important to help struggling readers take concrete steps toward progress.

Bringing visitors into your classroom to speak to students can be a powerful vehicle for learning. And though New York may have the highest number of experts per capita, a remote visit allows you to hear from people around the country and the world.

Sixth-grade special education teacher Julianne Salinger performed the Heimlich maneuver for the first time, saving a choking 7th-grader at IS 61 on Staten Island during the student's lunch period on Oct. 21.

In an effort to support and boost attendance, a new six-month pilot program and partnership between the UFT's United Community Schools and Clean Rite laundromats will give students and their families at five schools in four boroughs easy access to...

With the number of COVID-19 cases across the city on the rise, the increase in breakthrough infections and the threat of the new Omicron variant, in-school testing of unvaccinated students only was clearly no longer not enough. That’s why the UFT...

If you rely on open windows for good ventilation in your classroom, you will still need to keep a few windows cracked open a few inches even though it’s getting colder.

When the remnants of Hurricane Ida came barreling through the city on Sept. 1, the UFT launched a campaign for members to donate to their colleagues coping with storm damage. More than $40,000 was raised.

High-stakes teacher evaluations, which leaned heavily on student test scores, had no discernible impact on improving student achievement or student test scores, according to a report by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University...

For the last 22 months, the medical personnel and first responders of our city have answered the call to help people in need.

Teacher Tisha Gomez and the students in the vision technology program at the School for Cooperative Technical Education in Manhattan give the gift of sight, free of charge, to students and community members every day, producing eyeglasses in their...

The news that some schools are banning the novels of Toni Morrison is cause for alarm. The notion of protecting impressionable students from the uncertainties of the world and the potential for dark human impulses must be dispelled.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of plastic-wrapped breakfasts are given out to New York City schoolchildren, many of whom eat breakfast at home. Teachers say, “You don’t have to eat it but take it anyway.” At the end of breakfast time, teachers tie...

Thinking back to the early days of the union, all I have to say is God bless Al Shanker. He is responsible for getting us all the things that we have!

Thank you to Tom Murphy for the very necessary, very illuminating “From the Chapter Leader” column in the Oct. 28 issue about the new NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan

Decades of UFT advocacy bore fruit for the union’s paraprofessionals on Oct. 29 as a newly enacted state law guaranteed all UFT-represented full-time paraprofessionals — on the job now and in the future — will automatically become members of the...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew told delegates at the Delegate Assembly on Nov. 17 that the union plans to seek extensive member input to help shape priorities for upcoming negotiations on the next contract and health care.

A Herculean effort by the UFT helped turn the largest-ever shortage of New York City public school paraprofessionals into a record number of new paras joining the ranks.

Thousands of UFT members and parents came together this fall to press the City Council to pass groundbreaking legislation that would reduce class sizes in city public schools by a quarter to a third. The union gathered nearly 40,000 signatures in...

Three current UFT chapter leaders in District 22 in Brooklyn follow in the footsteps of family members whose dedication and hard work as chapter leaders inspired the next generation.

Alaa Yousef was elected chapter leader at Park Slope Collegiate in Brooklyn this October, and in her first action in that role, she used the operational issues complaint process to get her members paid for instructional lunch periods. When those...

The UFT hosted an afternoon of food, fun and free coats for students experiencing homelessness at its Thanksgiving Luncheon on Nov. 20, when more than 130 children filled Shanker Hall at UFT headquarters in Manhattan.

Retired elementary school teacher Loretta Nardone never outgrew her childhood love of dolls. Instead, she took her collection of dolls from around the world into her classrooms, where she incorporated them into lessons about different cultures and...

Building an RTC section can take time, but there are ways to make sure the building blocks are in place. Judy Rosenstein, coordinator of the New Jersey section, says the Si Beagle courses are an important part of the process.

Nearly 400 school psychologists attended this year’s Psychologists Appreciation Day on Nov. 12, the chapter’s first hybrid event featuring workshops on assistive technology and intelligence assessments.

Schools around the United States are canceling in-person instruction with very little notice due to staffing issues, including teacher shortages and staff fatigue, exacerbated by the pandemic.

Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, will have another chance to unionize after the National Labor Relations Board authorized a revote after its review found the online shopping giant had improperly interfered in the first election.

Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, is financing efforts to expand charter schools around the country with $750 million from his $70 billion fortune.

This year, the new New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan conspired to pull us apart. But the unity of spirit of UFT retirees is stronger than any such stresses.

"The decor and ambiance in my classroom have little touches to make it feel like home — things like curtains on the windows, beanbag chairs in our carpeted area and decorative lights. I try to address all five senses, like using air freshener to make...

Whether you co-teach on a regular basis or sit on the same grade or subject team as other educators, you have a host of colleagues who can be your allies and support network.

Make sure high school seniors apply for the UFT’s $5,000 Albert Shanker college scholarships. This year the application deadline is Feb. 28, 2022.

New teacher Gabrielle Vega was drawn to her 8th-grade social studies teacher's flair for the dramatic, and her affinity for theatrics is serving her well as she teaches that subject at MS 936 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a District 20 middle school...

Four UFT fall parent conferences in October and November, held virtually for the second consecutive year, drew nearly 350 parents and featured workshops, speakers, resources and surprises.

Nearly two thousand educators and their students logged on for the UFT’s Future in Focus virtual college and career fair on Oct. 21 and 22, when representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities helped participants explore the...

The Federation of Nurses/UFT's Professional Issues Conference, held virtually on Nov.19, gave members valuable information about COVID-19 and its psychological impact, congestive heart failure and social media as it applies to nurses.