Education savings accounts. Bills filed Friday and Saturday would create a new mechanism for funding school choice options. Tallahassee Democrat.

Charter schools. Some 1,200 students apply for 650 slots at a new charter in Viera, reports Florida Today. An overwhelming majority of parents and teachers vote against the proposed conversion of a Key Biscayne school into a charter, reports Miami Herald. The Palm Beach school district is recommending that its board shut down three charters, reports the Palm Beach Post. The Pepin Academies, a charter that serves disabled students in Tampa, wants to open a campus in Pasco, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

School choice. Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning is merging the district's choice programs - open enrollment, charters, career academies, etc. - in one department. Gradebook.

Parents. At Jacksonville's first-ever ed summit, Duval Superintendent Nikolai Vitti reiterates that he wants to transform how the district views parents. Florida Times Union.

Common Core. Tampa Bay Times overview of what's coming - and whether it can happen according to schedule. Part one here. Part two here.

Legislative preview. "Reforming school reform." Tampa Bay Times.

New faces. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Laurene Powell Jobs have joined the board of directors for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. EdFly Blog. (more…)

Teach for America. It's looking at Tampa Bay for expansion. Gradebook.

Charter schools. The Orange school board renews four charters and accepts the voluntary closure of another, reports SchoolZone. A charter school's plans to move in Miami-Dade don't make its parents or potential new neighbors happy, reports the Miami Herald. A judge rules the principal of an Imagine charter in Sarasota - seeking a split with its parent company - won't be banned from campus, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

FCAT season. Underway, notes SchoolZone. But some schools in some districts put off the writing test because of bad weather, reports Gradebook. Some worry that tougher writing standards could result in lower school grades, reports the Naples Daily News.

Literacy. A third-grade retention policy like Florida's would help students in New Mexico. EdFly Blog.

Settlement. The U.S. Justice Department settles with the Palm Beach school district in a case involving complaints of discrimination against immigrant children in enrollment and discipline cases, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. More from the Palm Beach Post.

Sequestration. Would hurt low-income and special needs children the most, Palm Beach district officials tell the Palm Beach Post. More from the Florida Times Union. (more…)