A quick look at the news from last week, compiled by Penn Hill Group:

HOUSE

Education Week’s Politics K-12 Blog is reporting that House and Senate committee leaders have reached a compromise on a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), with the possibility of conferees being appointed this week.

The Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training and the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations will hold a joint subcommittee hearing on November 18 on the Federal Student Aid Program. Witnesses have yet to be announced.

SENATE

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold an executive session on November 18 where they plan to consider legislation and nominations, including the nomination of Michael Michaud to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training for the U.S. Department of Labor.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) approved a one year, high-risk status waiver renewal under ESEA for Louisiana.

The White House held a Next-Generation High Schools Summit focused on high school redesign, including: personalized and active learning; access to real-world and hands-on learning; K–16 collaborations; and expanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) opportunities for girls and other underrepresented students.

ED released two reports: Fundamental Change: Innovation in America’s Schools under Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants National Summary: School Year 2012-13. The former highlighted impacts from the 11 states and the District of Columbia that received funding in the first two rounds of Race to the Top grants. The latter focused on results from the first three cohorts of schools that received funding from the School Improvement Grants Program (SIG), stating that some SIG schools saw gains in achievement, graduation rates and additional learning time.