Monday has been circled on state education leaders' calendars for quite some time now.

Not only is it the date that Washington Learns pops its final report on how to fix the state's K-12 education system, but Bill Gates and Gov. Christine Gregoire will both be speaking at the Educational Summit in Seattle Monday morning. The Washington Learns report is expected to set the tone, at least that's what its writers hope, for the upcoming Legislative session in January. It will stress early childhood education and math/science ed, as well as more support for teachers.

As to what Mr. Gates will say? That's the topic of much speculation among the ed wonks these days. But based on a few comments reported in Education Week and CNN this past month, expect him to focus on stronger accountability for teachers and the system, smaller schools and personalized learning and requiring that students take more rigorous science and math classes.

According to a Reuters report, Gates told attendees at the Microsoft Business Forum in Moscow that anyone with well-honed IT skills can pick their job, and pick their country.