"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) FY 2011 Spending Discussions Continue: Pressure Mounts as April 8 Deadline Approaches and Possibility of Government Shutdown Increases; (2) Check your Local Listings: Throughout April, Alliance to Release Data Demonstrating How Improvements in High School Graduation Rates Can Boost Local Economies; (3) "Building a Grad Nation": New Report Finds a 6.4 Percent Decrease in the Number of "Dropout Factories"; (4) "MetLife Survey of the American Teacher": Released in Two Parts, Annual Survey of Teachers, Students, Parents, and Business Executives Focuses on College and Career Readiness, Needs of Diverse Learners; and (5) "Unconventional Wisdom": Early College High Schools Show Potential for Increasing Minority Student College Participation. (Contains 1 figure and 1 footnote.)