The UFT reported a modest decrease in the total number of oversize classes in New York City public schools this fall for the second year in a row. By the tenth day of school, 401 schools citywide were out of compliance with 2,056 oversize classes, compared with 437 schools with 2,181 classes the previous year.

A successful UFT pilot program that places teachers from the Absent Teacher Reserve with small groups of students for focused reading instruction will provide more opportunity for ATRs after its inclusion in the DOE-UFT tentative contract agreement.

Some 560 school districts nationwide have moved to a four-day school week. The move to pack the same number of instructional hours into four days — principally done to save money — has divided school communities.

The Bronx plan in the proposed DOE-UFT contract to help schools that face the most challenges will be open to up to 120 schools, not just in the Bronx. These schools will receive additional funds and strategic support to better address the needs of their students.

Missouri labor unions have taken the state to court over a new law championed by Republican lawmakers that makes it easier to fire state workers, saying the changes infringe on collective bargaining rights enshrined in the state constitution.

The American Federation of Teachers on Oct. 3 filed a class-action lawsuit against Navient, one of the country’s largest administrators of federal student loans, accusing the company of steering borrowers in public service professions away from debt relief to boost its own profits.