By Jill Wohlford, Principal, JKW Consulting
Over the past year, JKW Consulting has had the opportunity to partner with Strong Start to Finish during a pivotal moment for the organization, and for the field. Specially, JKW worked with Strong Start and Education Commission of the States to align Strong Start’s organizational strategy and operations in support of a bold, stakeholder-informed, vision for the next phase of developmental education reform. As the higher education landscape shifts, Strong Start is leading the charge toward a new era of reform — one guided by a bold and necessary goal: By 2040, all states will adopt strategies that ensure all college students are on track to graduate after their first year.
This new North Star Goal is more than a strategic statement — it’s a declaration of what’s possible when the field aligns behind a shared vision. It recognizes that we cannot afford to operate at the margins. The success of students — especially those placed in developmental education — requires systemic change, grounded in evidence and equity, and designed to respond to the complex and evolving realities of our world.
Why This Goal Matters Now
Developmental education has undergone one wave of reform already. That movement brought needed attention to the inequities and inefficiencies baked into traditional remediation systems and demonstrated what is possible when they are addressed head on. Despite overwhelming evidence of success, reforms have not scaled sufficiently. Today, we stand at a crossroads. If we are to truly move the needle on equitable postsecondary and workforce success, we need a Developmental Education Reform 2.0 movement — one that builds on the successes and lessons of the past while boldly addressing the demands of the present and future.
This new phase of reform must respond to:
- A post-COVID-19 era higher education system still grappling with enrollment declines and student disengagement.
- A labor market placing new pressure on colleges to deliver career-ready credentials quickly.
- An uncertain policy environment.
- And most importantly, students whose success depends on how well we can adapt systems to meet them where they are.
Centering the North Star
In response to these realities, Strong Start has recalibrated its strategy, placing the North Star Goal at the center of its work. This also means centering partnerships — there is no way to achieve a goal this bold alone. To sustain and scale reforms at the pace necessary to meet the goal, the field must continue to move from isolated reforms to system-wide alignment. Strong Start aims to help the field get there by providing strategic clarity, elevating partner voices, and supporting sustained infrastructure for collaboration and change.
Key moves in this strategic reorientation include:
- Mapping and engaging a wider network of partners. Strong Start to Finish is engaging partners from policymakers to campus leaders to funders who are committed to the long-term work of scaling reform.
- Strengthening network capacity to ensure that collaboration is not just encouraged but enabled.
- Developing and sharing clear, resonant messaging that cements developmental education reform as a critical strategic lever necessary for advancing broader goals of equity, credential attainment and workforce readiness.
- And activating a vibrant community of practice that centers practitioner experience and supports continuous learning.
Developmental Education Reform 2.0
Strong Start’s North Star offers a clear directive: align investments and policies toward a future where every student gets a strong start. This means focusing on first-year success as a critical leading indicator of long-term attainment and workforce success, and investing in the strategies that we know work like corequisite supports, math pathways, and aligned placement policies.
What’s emerging through this directive is not just a revised strategy, but the early contours of a renewed movement. Crucially, this movement must be driven by the field itself. One of the core insights from our work with Strong Start is the importance of elevating the voices of partners — those working at the institutional, system, and state levels who understand both the challenges and the levers for change. Reform can’t be top-down; it must be co-owned and co-created, and this takes intentional effort.
At JKW Consulting, we’re proud to stand with Strong Start to Finish as they advance a strategic, equity-centered vision for the future of developmental education reform. The road to 2040 will not be linear — but with a clear North Star and an organization ready to lead through fostering intentional collaboration, we believe the destination is well within reach.
