"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) All I Want for Christmas: Congress Continues Deliberations on Fiscal Year 2012 Funding; Education Programs Potentially Facing 1.5 Percent Funding Cut; (2) "Fiscal Survey of States": States' Fiscal Situations Improve, but Revenue and Spending Remain Below Prerecession Levels; (3) "A New Mission for the Middle Grades": New Report Encourages Focus on Middles Schools for Postsecondary Preparedness; (4) "Comparability of State and Local Expenditures among Schools within Districts": New U.S. Department of Education Report Finds Many Low-Income Schools Receive Less Than Fair Share of Funding; and (5) Results of 2011 Trial Urban District Assessments in Reading And Math: Large Urban Districts Narrow Gap With National Average. (Contains 1 footnote.)