"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) House Committee Passes Education Reform Legislation: On Party-Line Votes, Committee Passes Accountability and Teacher Effectiveness Bills as Part of Work Rewriting NCLB; (2) Alliance President to Serve on National Commission on Educator Preparation; (3) Marked Improvement: New York City's Small High Schools of Choice Boost Graduation Rates by 8.6 Percentage Points, MDRC Analysis Finds; and (4) State of the States: Governors Stress Education-Economy Link, NCLB Waivers, High School Graduation Rates, and Common Core State Standards.