"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) "The High Cost of Low Educational Performance": New OECD Report Finds that 25 Point Increase in PISA Scores Could Lead to $40.6 Trillion Increase in United States's GDP; (2) "Best Economic Stimulus Is a High School Diploma": New Alliance Study Finds Lowering the High School Dropout Rate Boosts Job Creation, Home Ownership, Automobile Sales, and Economic Growth; and (3) "College- and Career-Ready": New Education Sector Report Offers a Different Take on Measuring Student College and Career Readiness. (Contains 2 footnotes.)