"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) Stimulus Shell Game?: U.S. Department of Education's Inspector General Warns that Some States are Using Education Stimulus Dollars to Free Up Money for Non-Education Items; (2) "Economic Scarring": Report Examines Long-Term Impacts of an Economic Recession on Education, Opportunity, Investments, and Entrepreneurial Activity; (3) "Prioritizing the Nation's Dropout Factories": Alliance Brief Calls for "Legislative Triage" to Address Nation's Lowest-Performing High Schools; and (4) "Are Achievement Gaps Closing and Is Achievement Rising for All?": Report Finds State Progress is Evident but Lacking at the High School Level.