Once again, Florida school districts are well-represented in the Brookings Institution's annual school choice rankings.

Five Sunshine State districts land in the top 25 of the think tank's 2016 Choice and Competition Index: Pinellas, Duval, Lee, Seminole and Broward Counties. No other state has as many districts ranked so highly.

It's worth a look at why these districts score well, and why they fall short of top scorers like Denver Public Schools and New Orleans' Recovery School District. (more…)

Parents and students want options. And, increasingly, Florida school districts are finding ways to offer them. That was the message officials from two large districts brought to state House panel looking at all the state's forms of school choice.

Marc Mora is chief of staff at the Lee County School district, which has operated an open enrollment program for 20 years. The district is divided into three geographic zones, and assigns families to schools in a lottery. The system is designed to let families choose their schools, and ensure they get an option reasonably close to home. Mora said 82 percent of families get their first choice of school, and 96 percent get one of their top three.

"We know that parents desire a choice of schools, to see a list, to be able to visit during these open-house periods, to meet with the principals, to take a tour, to see what the students and teachers are doing," he said, adding: "We encourage parents to go out to the schools and check them out, because ... every school is unique, and there's a fit for every student."

Since it was first created 20 years ago, Lee County's open enrollment system has helped solve other problems, from helping the district comply with court-ordered desegregation to eliminating the need for endless boundary changes to accommodate constant influxes of new students in fast-growing Southwest Florida.

Open enrollment systems like Lee's are expanding statewide under a new state law that districts are starting to implement. (more…)

Catholic schools. The Tampa Bay Times highlights the new Cristo Rey Catholic High School that's coming to Tampa.

Testing. State assessments go missing, leaving third graders in limbo. Florida Times-Union.

Technology. A Tampa entrepreneur develops an app to streamline school car lines. Associated Press.

Security. Marion County's tab for school resource officers rises. Ocala Star-Banner.

Administration. St. Lucie Superintendent Wayne Gent poaches principals from Palm Beach, where he previously led the district. Palm Beach Post. Pasco schools make administrative appointments. Gradebook. (more…)

Catholic schools. A South Florida Catholic school revitalizes itself. Sun-Sentinel.

Testing. Escambia schools pare back local testing. Pensacola News-Journal. Scoring on new state assessments may be tougher than FCAT. School Zone. Gradebook. The Senate's education chairman says testing changes will be up for discussion this year. Gradebook.

Charter schools. Longhorn Steakhouse hosts a fundraiser for a Viera charter school. Florida Today. Answer Sheet blogger Valerie Strauss bashes Jeb Bush and Florida charters.

Failure factories. State education officials are investigating Pinellas schools' spending on their most disadvantaged students. Tampa Bay Times.

Graduation. Duval school board members debate limiting graduation ceremonies to students in line for diplomas. Florida Times-Union. (more…)

Charter schools. News Service of Florida writes up an administrative law judge's ruling that a district cannot require charter schools to provide transportation.

College credit. Few students receive top scores on Advanced Placement physics exams. Bridge to Tomorrow. More Hillsborough students graduate with International Baccalaureate diplomas. Gradebook.

Bright Futures. Should precalculus be mandatory for students to qualify for merit-based financial aid? StateImpact.

Budgets. A funding boost means schools find themselves better off than last year. Naples Daily News.

Turnover. Some parents raise concerns about teacher turnover in struggling Duval schools. Florida Times-Union. An incentive pay program helps draw high-performing teachers to struggling, high-turnover schools. Fort Myers News-Press. (more…)

Charter schools. A highly sought-after football recruit transfers to a charter school in the middle of his senior year in a bid to promote its new football program. Sun-Sentinel.

School choice. The Bay County school district receives hundreds of choice applications. WJHG.

Awards. Districts around the state select teachers of the year. Tampa Bay Times. Miami Herald. Sun-Sentinel.Hillsborough names diversity educator finalists. Tampa Bay Times.

Budgets. Brevard schools prepare to add programs and staff for the first time after years of budget cuts. Florida Today. Public support is growing for a new Lee County high school, but budget questions remain. Naples Daily News.

Teacher pay. Marion school district employees are in line for a raise. Ocala Star-Banner.

Testing. Students can opt out of diagnostic assessments but not mandatory state tests. Florida Today. A teacher raises concerns. Gradebook.

Student health. A Manatee high school sees a meningitis outbreak. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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Magnet schools. Miami-Dade schools unveil a new planetarium to coincide with the debut of a new astronomy magnet program. Miami Herald. WSVN. More on the district's new school choice plans from the Herald.

Testing. Teachers are nervous about the challenges of preparing students for new standards and assessments. Tampa Bay Times. The new tests are expected to be longer and more difficult. Sun-Sentinel. Common Core lessons are tougher, but students are starting to rise to the challenge. Orlando Sentinel. What will lawmakers do about state testing? StateImpact explores.

School choice. Duval parents learn about district choice options during a public expo. Florida Times-Union.

Special needs. A new program in Volusia helps special needs students participate in sports. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Hillsborough schools recruit teachers with non-traditional backgrounds to teach special needs students. Tampa Tribune.

Community schools. Evans High School has improved results since it started offering tutoring, medical care and other services to students in its low-income neighborhood, Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab writes.

Tutoring. Lee County schools plan to drop free after-school tutoring in favor of a new summer program. Fort Myers News-Press.

Superintendents. Community leaders in Palm Beach hope the coming search for a new schools chief goes better than previous attempts. Palm Beach Post. An activist accused of extorting the Palm Beach superintendent faces additional charges. Sun-Sentinel.

Teacher evaluations. Hillsborough teachers say they should have had more input in developing the district's rating system. Tampa Bay Times.

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Tax credit scholarships. The Miami-Dade school board declines to hold a debate on the program and the lawsuit challenging it. Miami Herald. redefinED. Step Up For Students' Doug Tuthill responds to criticism of the program in the Sun-Sentinel. The organization co-hosts this blog.

Virtual school. The director of FLVS Campus, Florida Virtual School's new blended learning initiative, explains why one of the country's largest virtual schools is creating a physical learning space. Virtual Voice.

Teacher evaluations. The Palm Beach County school district proposes an evaluation system that would give all teachers positive evaluations. Palm Beach Post.

School grades. A survey finds parents in Jacksonville rely on things like test scores and school grades to judge schools, but don't understand all the changes to the system. Florida Times-Union.

School info. Design can increase parents' ability to get information about their schools, Omid Jahanbin writes on the EdFly.

Testing. The Lee County school board takes aim at testing with its legislative platform. Fort Myers News-Press.

Teacher pay. Bay County teachers are in for a raise. Panama City News Herald. Pasco teachers may be, as well, after protracted contract negotiations finally close. Tampa Bay Times.

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Lawsuits. A Sun-Sentinel opinion piece praises the lawsuit challenging Florida's tax credit scholarship program, which is administered by organizations like Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.

School choice. Transferring out of neighborhood schools becomes commonplace, as thousands of Duval students take advantage of school choice programs. Florida Times-Union. Pinellas schools work to lure students with a new marketing campaign. Tampa Bay Times.

Technology. Students are often moving into the digital age ahead of their schools, but that's starting to change. Tampa Bay Times.

Charter schools. A charter school founder and school board member in Collier County wins a state education award. Naples Daily News. The number of applications fell last year, but the approval rate increased. Naples Daily News. A Duval charter on the verge of closure gets temporary reprieve. Florida Times-Union.

Single gender. The New York Times explores the resurgence of single gender programs in Florida.

Magnet schools. A robotics magnet is part of the turnaround plan for a struggling Seminole County school. Orlando Sentinel. A South Florida magnet school's building becomes a lesson in energy efficiency. Sun-Sentinel.

Catholic schools. A new Catholic school is planned in Tampa. Tampa Tribune.

Testing. Florida's third grade retention policy will remain in place during the switch to new assessments. StateImpact. The Palm Beach Post explores the dispute between Florida and federal officials over testing for English language learners. 

Arts. The Tampa Tribune profiles a local conservatory.

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School choice. Add Voices for Choices to the list of school choice groups in Florida. redefinED. Duval County School District leaders propose a "Public Education Strong" marketing campaign to lure students back from charter and private schools. Florida Times Union. Sunshine State News's Nancy Smith says women are waiting to hear what Charlie Crist's position is on vouchers.

Magnet schools. The Broward County School District looks for ways to improve five F-rated magnet schools. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Charter schools. The Palm Beach County Commission approves a $20 million financing deal for a new charter school. South Florida Sun Sentinel. The St. Johns County School Board considers a couple of applications. St. Augustine Record.

Teachers unions. More about new NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia, who visited South Florida last week. StateImpact Florida. Charlie Crist gets big money from the NEA. The Buzz.'

Technology. Low-income kids in the Pinellas County School District who were given laptops to take home last year outscore their peers without them. Gradebook.

Lawsuits. Members of the Bay County School Board, concerned about unfunded mandates, say they are considering joining the education funding/adequacy suit filed in 2009 by Fund Education Now and others. WJHG.

School spending. A school board member in the Manatee County School District raises concerns about the district's request for proposal regarding the hiring of security guards for elementary schools. Bradenton Herald. (Follow-up story here.) The Pinellas County School Board approves a $1.3 billion budget. Tampa Bay Times. The Hillsborough County School Board approves a $2.9 billion budget. Tampa Bay Times. The Marion County School Board approves a $475 million budget. Ocala Star Banner. The Leon County School Board approves a $530 million budget. Tallahassee Democrat. Guest columnists ask voters in Palm Beach County to reauthorize a property tax hike for education. Palm Beach Post.

Standardized testing. Complaints about a "toxic culture of testing" surface at a Brevard County School Board meeting. Florida Today. The Lee County School Board considers searching for ways to mitigate what it says is too much high-stakes testing. Fort Myers News Press. An Alachua County kindergarten teacher refuses to give her students standardized tests that are used for diagnostic purposes, putting her job at risk. Gainesville Sun.