Education Leaders to Meet in Clearwater

Top education leaders around Florida will be meeting in Clearwater next week to discuss a variety of issues facing Florida's education system. Common Core State Standards, school grades, teacher pay, and student assessments can all be expected to be on the agenda.

The meeting will run Monday through Wednesday.

The Florida Department of Education had an eventful summer full of changes across the board. The State Board of Education approved a "safety net" feature to save schools across the state from dropping more than one letter grade and former Commissioner of Education Tony Bennett resigned after reports surfaced that he changed the grade of a school in his home state of Indiana.

Pam Stewart has taken over as Interim Commissioner of Education in the meantime, but a permanent replacement for Bennett has not been decided.

Teachers across the state are preparing to implement Common Core in the classrooms, which has brought backlash from tea party groups and some concerned parents and members of the public. Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford have also voiced opposition to the test that will come with Common Core and instead advise that Florida create its own test for students.