A series reported by Gotham Schools and the Hechinger Report offers context and analysis of the United Federation of Teachers, as its leaders face their own re-election prospects and the race for a new mayor. Hear our interview with one of the editors of the series.

A troubled charter school run by the teachers union is getting two more years to improve. Trustees of the State University of New York approved the short-term renewal after deciding that the school’s elementary grades had done well enough to keep it going.

A K-12 charter school run by the teachers’ union will find out Tuesday if all or some of it can remain open. The latest review cited numerous problems including low student achievement, poor fiscal health and a few cases of corporal punishment.

Tired of waiting for Mayor Bloomberg and the teachers’ union to agree on teacher evaluations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he’d propose a back-up plan for New York City in the form of a budget amendment which would give the state authority to implement its own plan for New York’s largest school district.

Mayor Bloomberg’s relationship with the teachers’ union hit an all-time low last month when the two sides couldn’t agree on a new way to evaluate city teachers. And that’s saying something, considering the rocky relationship this mayor has had with the union. An audio look-back recalls some choice moments from the last decade.

Despite the public exchange of barbs and insults, the Bloomberg administration and teachers’ and principals’ unions said they are planning to meet this week to talk about teacher evaluations. One key issue on the table: how to provide meaningful training to principals and teachers in time to implement a new system by September.

Mayor Bloomberg took his arguments against short-term teacher evaluation deals on the road, telling Albany lawmakers that other school districts were willing to make one- or two-year deals because “everybody else is just interested in getting the money and committing what I would call fraud.” He expected New York City principals to eliminate teachers and other staff positions if more state money is withheld.

The teachers union is ratcheting up its dispute with the mayor over teacher evaluations, by airing a new television spot that accuses Bloomberg of being the obstacle. The two sides must reach a deal in less than two weeks, or the city will lose $250 million in state aid.

Teachers used Election Day, technically set aside for professional development, to offer help to people struggling in parts of the city devastated by Sandy.

The principal of the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology in Brooklyn argues that any new teacher evaluation system needs to include training and not merely rely on student scores.