"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) Halfway Point: Obama Administration Approves Seven More States for NCLB Waivers Bringing Total to Twenty-Six; Iowa First State to Be Turned Down; (2) "Growing Awareness, Growing Support": National Poll Findings Show Growing Support for Common Core State Standards and Assessments; and (3) "Building and Sustaining Talent": Improving Conditions for Teaching and Learning Key to Attracting and Retaining High-Quality Teachers in Hard-to-Staff Schools, Says New Education Trust Report. (Contains 1 footnote.)