"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) Nation's Report Card Reveals Modest Increases in Math and Reading: Report Shows One-Quarter of Eighth Graders Reading Below Most Basic Level; (2) Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Legislation to Rewrite No Child Left Behind: Senators Harkin and Enzi Outline Pros, Cons of Legislation; (3) Common Core State Standards Initiative: Alabama Reaffirms Support for Common Standards as Montana Becomes Forty-Sixth State to Adopt; and (4) "Generation Jobless": "Wall Street Journal" Spotlights Young Individuals Hit Hard By Economic Recession.