"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) Duncan Makes $44 Billion in Education Funding Available to States: Education Secretary Says Stimulus Money Must Go Toward "Real and Lasting Reform"; (2) Meaningful Measurement: Alliance Conference Examines the Role of Assessments in Improving High School Education in the Twenty-First Century; and (3) "Creating What's Next": New NCTAF [National Commission on Teaching and America's Future] Report Warns of Teacher Retirement Wave About to Hit America's Schools, Calls for Change to Traditional Staffing Model.