"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) "Informing Adolescent Literacy Policy and Practice": Alliance Brief Offers Lessons Learned from Federal Efforts to Improve Literacy Skills of Middle and High School Students; (2) "The Consequences of Dropping Out of High School": Average High School Dropout Has a Negative Net Fiscal Contribution to Society of $5,200, Says New Report; (3) Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate: U.S. Department of Education Reports 73.9 Percent Graduation Rate for 2006-07 School Year; and (4) "The Next Generation of School Accountability": New Report Examines How to Improve Graduation Rates and Student Achievement Levels in SREB States. (Contains 3 footnotes.)