ROCKFORD, Ill., Oct. 15, 2026. Almy Education, a gateway course consultancy that partners with colleges, universities, and state systems, has been named a network partner of Strong Start to Finish, the national network hosted by the Education Commission of the States that works with states and institutions to scale evidence-based reforms to increase student success.
Strong Start to Finish brings together higher education system leaders, policy and research organizations, technical assistance providers, institution leaders, and foundations around a shared goal of helping students pass credit-bearing math and English courses in their first year of college. Its network partners are a small group of national organizations with demonstrated expertise in developmental education reform. The designation builds on the technical assistance Almy Education already provides to colleges and states, including within Strong Start to Finish programs. Almy Education shares the network’s North Star goal that, by 2040, all states adopt strategies to ensure every college student is on track to graduate after their first year. Its approach is already reflected in the network’s Core Principles for Transforming Developmental Education, which cite Kathleen Almy’s work on corequisite design among their evidence.
“This is a meaningful moment for our team,” said Kathleen Almy, Ed.D., founder and CEO of Almy Education. “Strong Start to Finish has brought states, systems, and national organizations together around the goal we care about most, which is students completing college-level math and English in their first year. Our part of that work happens on campus after the policy is set, in the placement decisions, the course schedules, and the faculty conversations where change actually happens. We’re proud to bring that implementation experience to the network, and grateful to work alongside partners who have spent years moving this work forward.”
“We’re pleased to welcome Almy Education as a Strong Start to Finish network partner,” said Victoria Ballerini, Ph.D., director of Strong Start to Finish. “Our network is working with states and institutions to ensure that every college student succeeds in their first year and beyond, and we look forward to working alongside Almy Education toward that goal.”
Now in its eighth year, Almy Education has grown well beyond its roots in gateway math. The firm partners with institutions on gateway courses in math, English, and the sciences, including biology, chemistry, and anatomy and physiology, a required course for most nursing and allied health programs. It has also expanded into workforce development, helping colleges and employers build training programs that give students direct pathways to employment.
Almy Education has refined its methodology through partnerships with more than 100 institutions. Its work includes seven state-level gateway redesign partnerships and engagements with colleges and universities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington.
What sets the firm apart is its “done with you” model. Almy Education brings a team of specialized consultants who are current or former faculty, and they work alongside institutional teams through every stage of its three-stage process, Evaluate, Strategize, and Implement, providing project management and professional development until the changes are in place. Its Gateway Success at Scale framework addresses three interconnected areas, culture, systems, and classroom practice, and most institutions reach scale within one year.
“People who have known us for a long time sometimes still think of us as a math team in Illinois,” said Kathleen Almy. “We’re proud of that work, and it’s still at the center of what we do. But our team now supports institutions across disciplines and across the country, and joining Strong Start to Finish reflects how far that work has come.”
About Almy Education
Almy Education is a gateway course consultancy that partners with colleges, universities, and state systems to redesign the courses where student success is most at stake. Its “done with you” approach combines a proven methodology with hands-on implementation support, led by a team of specialized consultants with expertise in both subject matter and institutional change management. Through its Gateway Success at Scale framework, Almy Education helps institutions align culture, systems, and classroom practice so that more students succeed in gateway courses in math, English, and the sciences. Learn more at almyeducation.com.
About Strong Start to Finish
Strong Start to Finish is a network of policy and research partners, institution and systems leaders, and foundations advancing system reforms in developmental education, so every student can succeed in their first year of college and beyond. The Education Commission of the States is the host of the Strong Start to Finish network. Learn more at strongstart.org.
