"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 High School Dropouts": New Alliance Brief Says Dropouts from the Class of 2009 Represent $335 Billion in Lost Income; (2) Free Fallin': United States Falls to Number Two in World Competitiveness Rankings, Number Thirty-Six in Health and Primary Education; (3) "Achieving a Wealth of Riches": New Alliance Brief Examines How Teachers Can Use Data to Transform Teaching and Learning; and (4) "International Lessons about National Standards": New Report Calls for an Independent Organization to Lead U.S. Standards Effort. (Contains 1 footnote.)