Jonathan Thomas Hughes

He leaves behind surviving sisters; Randon Lee Hughes (Alfred Luetgens), of Temecula, CA and Janet Hughes (James Maloney) of Southold, NY: and best friend Corey Ramsay of Jacksonville, FL. Jonathan was the uncle to nieces Janet (DeRosa) Davis and Jacqueline Maloney and nephew Frank DeRosa. He was preceded in death by his parents Jonathan and Mary(Connolly) Hughes, and by his wife Joan (Mottola) Hughes.

After his wife’s passing, Dr. Hughes moved to Florida and was befriended by Corey Ramsay and his family and friends. They embraced him and he considered them all as family.

Over the past years Professor Jonathan T. Hughes has been a mathematics teacher, department chair, director of management information systems, IBM programmer, assistant superintendent for personnel, finance and administration and university professor. He was engaged in several public and private educational settings in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. He was professor at Teachers College at Columbia University, the Department of Educational Leadership and Technology at Dowling College and the Center for Educational Leadership and Accountability at St. John's University.

Renowned data expert Dr. Jonathan Hughes is the mind behind some of the most influential resources in Long Island education. A lead researcher and consultant for many international, national and regional schools and educational organizations, he is revered for his extensive knowledge in the educational, financial and strategic planning components of school operations.

Dr. Hughes' Budget Pulse, a compendium of school financial data and fiscal trends, served as a seminal guide to local school districts for making budget decisions. Superintendents, administrators and school board members in 300 districts statewide relied on the achievement, instruction, enrollment and finance statistics provided in Hughes' Data Points. His statistical dashboard, Vital Signs, provided benchmark information by which school districts compare specific indicators to state, county, town and other district norms.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Ithaca College, a masters in mathematics education from Harvard University and his M.Phil., M.Ed., and Ph.D. from Columbia University, Dr. Hughes is the mind behind two stellar programs that have produced many educational leaders on Long Island: the Department of Educational Leadership and Technology at Dowling College, and the Center for Educational Leadership and Accountability at St. John's University.

As senior researcher for the New York State School Boards Association, Dr. Hughes worked on the Rockefeller Foundation grant-funded Small City School Districts Project, helping 57 urban and rural cities across the state with financial and instructional difficulties to improve efficiency and effectiveness. He has authored numerous books and articles on school district management, planning and governance issues including Mentoring for Success, a research-based examination of an academic mentoring model for urban middle school youth.

Gifts and donations may be made in Jonathan’s memory to Save-A-Pet, 608 Rt 112, Port Jefferson, NY 11776 or The Hughes-Mottola Doctoral Scholarship Program at St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hardage-giddenschapelhills.com for the Hughes family.