Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to eliminate accountability regulations the Obama administration drafted following passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, sending the Congressional Review Act resolution to the president’s desk.
• Politico reports the 50-49 vote pitted Democrats and a lone Republican, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, against the Republican majority, who argued the regulations amounted to a federal overreach.
• Supporters of the regulation said its elimination would throw the ESSA planning process into chaos, but critics say it will give states more control and flexibility to assess schools as they see fit.

Dive Insight:

The Every Student Succeeds Act was passed with strong bipartisan support in 2015 as a long overdue replacement to No Child Left Behind. But the bipartisan goodwill deteriorated as the Obama administration drafted regulations that would limit state control over decision-making on district accountability and allocation of federal funds.

Congress has also effectively repealed regulation of teacher preparation programs, with the Senate taking that vote before turning to the accountability regulations this week. That first vote passed with support from eight Democrats, unlike the accountability regulations, which Democrats argue are necessary to protect the nation’s most vulnerable students.