Jenny Scala

Jenny Scala has been providing technical assistance to states, districts, and schools for over 15 years. Her technical assistance experience includes supporting state education agency staff to create new strategies for supporting underperforming districts and schools, aiding states to address high school improvement and student attendance. 

Scala is currently the director of the West Comprehensive Center. In her role as director, Scala helps state, district, and school leaders identify, implement, and sustain evidence-based programs and practices, with the goal of improving outcomes for educators and students.

Additionally, she oversees implementation of AIR’s early warning intervention and monitoring systems (EWIMS) mid-phase education innovation and research grant and recently was the project director for work helping to ensure students leave high school ready for their postsecondary plans (with the Milton Hershey School). 

Scala has managed AIR’s early warning system efforts since 2013 and participates in multiple projects using her expertise in using data to inform instructional decision-making across the nation. She has led projects focused on dropout prevention in rural states and districts as well as urban districts, and was also a deputy director of the College and Career Readiness and Success Center.

Scala has served as a researcher on multiple Regional Educational Laboratories leading early warning systems work. These projects included indicator validation, development of an early warning system tool, and implementation of early warning systems. 

Scala has served as a technical assistance liaison for the National High School Center as well as a technical assistance provider for the National Center on Response to Intervention. In these roles, she has provided trainings and professional development opportunities to a number of state, district, and school leadership teams.