School recognition funds. About 1,700 schools will get about $134 million, reports Gradebook. More from SchoolZone, Miami Herald, South Florida Sun Sentinel, TCPalm.com, Florida Times Union, Naples Daily News.

Charter schools. Palm Beach Post: "Palm Beach County has pledged to help a nonprofit charter school sell $10.5 million in mostly tax-exempt bonds so it can open a new campus in Juno Beach — a move that has upset County Commissioner Paulette Burdick, who questions whether the county should aid privately run charters that pull students away from the public school district." More on Cape Coral charter schools asking the Lee County school district for facilities funding from NBC2.

Pre-K. Florida's pre-K isn't the reason its students are surging ahead of Nevada's. Heartland Institute.

Parent trigger. Lakeland Ledger weighs in.

Zero tolerance. Despite changes in the law, thousands of students are still arrested in Florida schools every year for minor infractions. StateImpact Florida.

FCAT. Time again for students to "brace" for the "dreaded" test, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. This year, teachers and students better prepared for tougher writing standards, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Grad rates. Another report notes Florida's rate is low but improving. SchoolZone. (more…)

More than 100 school districts in the U.S. now have 10 percent or more of their students in charter schools, and eight Florida districts are among them, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Lee County School District leads Florida districts with 14 percent, says the report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which is based on enrollment figures for the 2011-12 school year. It’s followed by Broward, Lake, Miami-Dade, Polk and Sarasota (all at 12 percent), Indian River (at 11 percent) and Osceola (at 10 percent).

New Orleans tops all districts with 76 percent, followed by Detroit (41 percent), Washington D.C. (41 percent), Kansas City, Mo. (37 percent) and Flint, Mich. (33 percent).

Two Florida districts are among the 10 fastest-growing for charters. Between 2010-11 and 2011-12, charter enrollment rose from 6,207 to 9,452 in Hillsborough County, a 52 percent increase that put it at No. 2 nationally over that span. Broward County showed a 26 percent increase, putting it at No. 6.

Eight Florida school districts are also among the Top 50 in total number of charter students, but that has a lot to do with how huge Florida districts tend to be. Miami-Dade leads all Florida districts and is No. 6 nationally with 41,767 charter students last year.

For more about the report, see New York Times here and Huffington Post here.

Weatherford

School choice will have its own legislative committee. From the News Service of Florida (subscription required): “Incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, is revamping the House's committee structure, including making changes that will affect education and regulatory issues. The changes, outlined in a memo sent to House members Wednesday, include creating an education Choice & Innovation Subcommittee, which will deal with a wide range of issues such as charter schools, virtual instruction and voucher-type programs.”

A plea on teacher evals. The Florida Education Association asks Gov. Rick Scott to use his authority to postpone the linking of standardized test scores to teacher evaluations, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

More school funding votes. Voters in Seminole said yes to a tax hike, voters in Volusia said no, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Brevard voters also said no, Florida Today reports.

Charter school closing. The Lee County School Board prepares to close a charter school with financial problems, the Fort Myers News Press reports.

About that $155 million verdict for the former charter principal. Nevermind, the Miami Herald reports.

Mounting criticism over student deaths. Hillsborough County parents start facebook pages and have scheduled a protest in response to the deaths of two special needs students, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

From Idaho and Indiana, a message for Jeb Bush? StateImpact Florida.