"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) U.S. Mayors Adopt Alliance's Recommendations on Teacher Induction at Annual Conference; (2) Chicago to Close Worst-Performing Schools: Approximately Sixty Schools to Close Over Six Years, Replaced by One Hundred Small Schools; (3) "Locating the Dropout Crisis": Almost 50 Percent of African-American Students Attend Weak High Schools; (4) Improving the Economic and Life Outcomes of At-Risk Youth: New Report Finds That "Reconnection" Programs Must Focus on Education; and (5) Murdoch Says American Students to Lose Jobs to Better Education Counterparts from Other Countries: Urges Business Community to Offer More Support to Schools.