Category: Blog

Over the past year, we’ve partnered with JKW Consulting at a pivotal moment for both our organization and the field. Together, we aligned our strategies and operations — culminating in the launch of our new North Star goal: By 2040, all states will ensure students are on track to graduate after their first year.

As higher education faces mounting challenges, this vision demands urgent, systemic change. It builds on past reforms while responding to the evolving needs of today’s students and workforce. In a new blog post, Jill Wohlford of JKW Consulting explores why this moment matters — and what it will take to turn this bold vision into lasting impact. Read more.

We presented at SXSW for the first time this year in a team-up with the Gates Foundation, Student Ready Strategies and West Los Angeles College! We discussed how traditional college readiness standards often don’t reflect students’ true potential and can contribute to unfair outcomes. In this post, Josclynn Brandon, Vice President of Operations and Partnerships at Student Ready Strategies, a member of the Strong Start to Finish network, shares valuable reflections from the panel. “SXSW EDU was a powerful reminder of the energy and innovation driving change in higher education, and I left feeling more inspired than ever.” Read more.

Community colleges are essential gateways to higher education for diverse learners. Corequisite courses—placing students directly into college-level math or English with built-in support—are reshaping how colleges improve student success, especially for those historically placed in remedial classes. Authored by our colleagues at, Community College Research Center, this blog examines the growing body of evidence supporting corequisites and underscores the urgency of sustaining this progress rather than reverting to outdated practices.

Corequisite mathematics courses, enhanced by AI-enabled tools, can provide personalized learning for Black, Brown, Asian American, Indigenous and low-income students, possibly addressing diverse needs and levels of preparedness. Our Advisory Board Member, Lisa Cantlon, authors a blog post discussing how AI-enabled tools can offer tailored support, real-time feedback and culturally relevant content that helps students build confidence and succeed.

As the adoption of co-requisite developmental education continues to grow across the country, so should the conversation. Although we know this approach enables students to be more likely successful in college-level math and English courses, there is still more to learn about co-requisites and their various models. This blog post explores how colleges should be more specific about the various co-requisite models for even more positive outcomes. 

Gateway courses often serve as gatekeepers, preventing students from progressing to and through the general education curriculum and/or program of study associated with a particular major. This blog discusses the importance of gateway course redesign as one of several strategies used in order for students to pass credit-earning college-level courses, including English and math, in their first year of college.

In our May 2024 virtual faculty workshops, we learned that generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are accessible, have the potential to transform teaching and learning, and are already in use on postsecondary campuses across the country. Yet AI tools carry some significant risks. Our Advisory Board Member Sharmila Mann authored a blog post describing how coordinated policy strategies at the federal, state and institutional levels can support safe and ethical AI integration.

The new Strong Start to Finish Partner Menu of Service is a helpful guide for institutions and decision-makers planning and navigating developmental education reforms. Drawing on their experience working with community colleges to implement math pathways, Carnegie Math Pathways share their thoughts on the benefits of this tool. They detail how educators and leaders can use the tool to support their efforts of change.

Reforming developmental education is about offering learning support in a more effective and equitable way. What is the role of AI in the context of these reforms? This important question and more was explored during a recent learning session. The session was hosted by Strong Start to Finish and Every Learning Everywhere, facilitated by Achieving the Dream and the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies. Read about our reflections and the questions we’re still asking ourselves in our newest blog.