Hundreds of public school educators and families at the Graphic Communication Arts Educational Campus in Manhattan on May 11 to choose from 50,000 free books for children of all ages. The special event, along with four other book giveaways the same day in other parts of the country, was organized to celebrate the 10 million books given away through First Book nationwide. 


Students of NYC, the UFT's social media initiative to highlight the city's amazing middle and high schoolers, celebrated its first year during a fete at UFT headquarters.

Several hundred paraprofessionals who contribute to COPE, the union’s political action fund, attended a performance of Suffs, the Broadway musical about women’s battle for the right to vote, as an expression of thanks from the UFT.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew oversaw a panel of UFT Teacher Center literacy district coaches who discussed the progress and pitfalls of Phase 1 of the rollout of new phonics-based literacy curricula in 15 New York City districts.

The dynamism of New York City’s career and technical education high schools was on display at the exhibit hall during the conference. Teachers and students from 17 schools across the city shared their passions and projects.

The UFT awarded scholarships to 189 public high school and graduate students as part of the annual Albert Shanker College Scholarship Awards Celebration and Reception. The students, many of whom began their high school careers online during the pandemic, were praised for their commitment to education despite the tumult of the last four years.