AFT rolls out TEACH-ify webinar series

The AFT’s Professional Learning program will launch its TEACH-ify: A Great Teaching Strategy Playlist webinar series on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. ET.

The purpose of these free Zoom sessions (one per month through May) is for AFT members to interact and discuss great teaching strategies for supporting K-12 students.

For the complete playlist of topics and to register, click here.…

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AFT extends Reading Opens the World campaign

Having exceeded 1 million books distributed in 2022 as part of its Reading Opens the World initiative, the AFT on Dec. 10 said it plans to distribute another million books in 2023.

“Reading is foundational,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in a press release. “It is necessary for virtually everything we do—and for experiencing the joy of a great book.…

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Solidarity aplenty in New Brunswick as Rutgers unions rally for fair contracts

Undeterred by the steady rain, Rutgers University faculty, staff and students gathered Dec. 6 in New Brunswick for an outdoor rally to support Rutgers unions in their quests for fair contracts.

The Hub City rally, one of three held around the same time at the other main Rutgers campuses, began at Voorhees Mall. Among the speakers there was Rutgers AAUP-AFT member Todd Vachon, director of Rutgers LEARN and an AFTNJ higher education vice president.…

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AFT task force issues report on health worker shortage

The AFT Healthcare Staffing Shortage Task Force recently issued a report as part of the union’s ongoing effort “to improve our nation’s healthcare system and the working conditions our members endure,” as stated in the report’s introduction.

Among the components of the staffing shortage examined in the report are unsafe working conditions, inadequate compensation for frontline workers and insufficient worker voice and trust.…

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New SML webinars explore games literacy and more

In collaboration with the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation’s Quest Center, AFT’s Share My Lesson will present new webinars in November that are designed to spark creativity and ingenuity among students.

Those webinars are: 

• Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. ET: “More Than STEM: Minecraft As a Tool for Multidisciplinary Learning”

• Nov. 9 at 6 p.m.…

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AFT partner Hungry for Music makes a sound offer

Through Oct. 15, music teachers, social workers and paraprofessionals at Title I schools working in music or music therapy can put in an instrument request with AFT partner Hungry for Music to assist children unable to participate due to financial hardship.

“We want to increase our outreach of supporting students in school and after-school programs with musical instruments, giving them an opportunity that they would not otherwise have,” says Jeff Campbell, Hungry for Music’s founder and director, in a story by Annette Licitra.…

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