Teachers News | April 2025

On April 5, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets in more than 1,300 “Hands Off!” peaceful protests in cities across all 50 states. The message was clear and thunderous: Enough is enough. Protesters demanded an end to the escalating authoritarianism and attacks on everyday Americans led by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Then on April 8, thousands more stood up to say “Kill the Cuts” to education and scientific research. Turnout—including AFT members from coast to coast—signaled a growing, powerful movement ready to defend democracy, civil rights, public education and academic freedom. Above, the crowd at "Hands Off" in Philadelphia.

 

On a chilly Saturday in upstate New York, hundreds of people poured into the Liberty High School gym for the highlight of the weekend: brand new books, in English and Spanish, absolutely free of charge. The event also included participation from more than 20 community organizations and local vendors, reflecting what public schools actually are: communities of care, opportunity and support. Read more about this uplifting gift to the community.

 

Just when the teacher shortage is at its worst, programs that prepare new teachers to fill the gap have been shuttered by the Trump administration: In February, the Department of Education abruptly axed $600 million in Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development grants established by Congress specifically to bolster the teacher workforce. Read this AFT Voices account from members who are feeling the cuts—and the teacher shortage—in their North Florida schools.

 

As Donald Trump and Elon Musk are slashing critical federal services and funding—threatening well-being and opportunities for all—the new Spring issue of American Educator focuses on protecting our kids and restoring hope for the future. AFT President Randi Weingarten writes on reclaiming the promise of America through labor and education policy, and AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram describes the benefits of arts education. Then, a mix of educators, students and researchers describe how hip-hop therapy impacts students’ well-being, share practices that reduce chronic absenteeism, discuss strategies for protecting students from social media’s harms, explore how to support aggressive youth and highlight a program for educators experiencing burnout.  

 

New York City has announced it will hire more than 3,700 new teachers in almost 750 schools to comply with a class size law the United Federation of Teachers, an AFT affiliate, helped pass in 2022. The law limits class size to 20 students for kindergarten through third grade, 23 for grades 4-8 and 25 for high school students. Research shows that smaller class sizes boost student achievement. “For decades, New York City parents and teachers have been fighting for lower class sizes,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said when the law was passed. “We now have something to celebrate.” Learn more here. Graphic by Leontura/Getty.

 

This week, President Donald Trump announced the highest and most wide-ranging tariffs—taxes on goods that Americans buy—since President Herbert Hoover’s Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which made the Great Depression worse. Trump’s tariffs apply to all of our nation’s trading partners. And the chaos has come quickly: stock markets in freefall, business confidence at the lowest level since the 2008 financial crisis, respected economists who only weeks ago were celebrating the strength of the economy warning that a recession is likely, and higher prices for Americans. What explains this seemingly self-destructive attack on our nation’s economy? Read this AFT Voices post by AFT President Randi Weingarten and Damon Silvers, director of policy and special counsel at the AFL-CIO, for understanding and a way forward.

President Donald Trump has declared war on America’s colleges and universities, demanding they bow to his demands regarding what they can teach and whom they can admit or hire. Trump’s illegal and autocratic actions are tantamount to a war on knowledge intended to make schools bend the knee to his ideology and chill free speech and academic pursuit. In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten debunks the lie that Trump's punitive behavior toward universities and students has anything to do with fighting antisemitism.