Here’s the Center for Education Reform’s take on the confab:

Here's the Center for Education Reform's take on the confab:

BEHIND THE UNION LABEL. Every summer, the teachers unions gather round the campfire and plot their priorities for the coming year: which politicians to support, which policies to enact, how to best lengthen the number of vacation days per year. It is through the shenanigans at these annual meetings that we catch a true glimpse of the union underbelly. In this week's edition of Newswire, we proudly help them show their true colors...

MONEY CAN'T BUY YOU LOVE. The National Education Associations' annual confab is wrapping up down in the Big Easy, and the order of the day seems to be biting the hand that feeds you. So hurt is union leadership over the "shabby" manner in which they have been treated by the Obama Administration, that they are using their time together to whine and complain about the pain inflicted upon the teaching profession and public education in general. That's like a Beverly Hills divorcee concerned about only getting half of everything. Have they forgotten that they received more than $100 billion in an industry bail out that no-matter-how-you-slice-or-spin-it was intended for them? How about the 'Race to the Top' (which they have granted a vote of "no confidence")? In the end, unions were given more power than reforms to put state applications over the top. An unprecedented influx of cash, between-the-lines support from Washington and false reports of unions embracing a reform agenda rampant throughout the media - What is there to cry about?

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has been named education governor of the year by the NEA, and that's not a good thing. The Free State has been resting on its laurels for years and only half-heartedly made legislative changes this past year to impress Washington's 'Race to the Top' judges. Sure, in front of the media, the unions rallied against a new teacher tenure and evaluation bill, but in the end, they are the ones granted final say in how they are implemented. And that new labor board? It has a seat already saved for former NEA General Counsel Bob Chanin. That's a pretty sweet deal. It's also another example of why governors matter. O'Malley's challenger, former Governor Robert Ehrlich, has put education at the top of his agenda, knowing that good is not good enough unless every kid is offered the chance to succeed. With support for a stronger charter school law and performance pay for teachers, Ehrlich won't be winning any union awards for his education platform, and that's a good thing. (Be sure to keep up with all the gubernatorial action over at www.educationfifty.com.)

HAYS CODE REDUX. Some in the NEA seem to be fans of old time Hollywood, and in that spirit, they want to hearken back to the censorship days of the Hays Code to make certain no one is corrupted by a slew of powerful – often painful – documentary films now making the circuit in cities across the country. Though the motion didn't carry in the end, thank goodness they seriously considered spending time and money sparing viewers from the realization that the teachers union is effectively robbing kids of an education (The Cartel), that great schools and great teachers can equalize educational disparities (TEACHED), that the future of many high-poverty students can come down to the luck of the draw (The Lottery), or that problems in America's status quo education system are rampant everywhere (Waiting for Superman).

RESOLUTIONS. Fear not, the NEA doesn't just focus its time on work rules for shorter school days, shorter school years and less responsibility for educating children. They waste their members' dues combating all kinds of issues germane to teaching. Here are a few of this year's doozies: fighting the dangers of handheld phones while driving, removing Arne Duncan from the Obama Administration, ending the war in Afghanistan, denouncing 'Race to the Top' while supporting affiliate participation in 'Race to the Top', and promoting gender equality in public school restroom facilities. How can NAEP scores not rise in light of all this hard work?

COMING ATTRACTIONS. The American Federation of Teachers begins its summer conference this coming weekend, and not to be outdone, they too will vote on an all important education policy platform to end the war in Afghanistan and attempt to further their education reform street cred by highlighting various hollow efforts to safely stay outside the lines of education progress. Is there a chance Randi Weingarten won't survive Saturday's nomination process? Stay tuned to Edspresso for more...