Dr. Jonathan T. Hughes
Professor and Director
Center for Educational Leadership and Accountability
St. John's University, Oakdale Campus
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, serves as a seminal guide to local school districts for making budget decisions. Superintendents, administrators and school board members in 300 districts statewide rely on the achievement, instruction, enrollment and finance statistics provided in Hughes' Data Points. His statistical dashboard, Vital Signs, provides benchmark information by which school districts compare specific indicators to state, county, town and other district norms.
A graduate of Harvard and Columbia universities, Dr. Hughes is the mind behind two stellar programs that have produced educational leaders in Nassau County: 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.
"Few educational leaders have impacted Nassau County in so many positive ways as Dr. Jonathan Hughes," wrote his award nominator. "Nothing is more important in education than quality instruction that leads to student achievement, and the high standards he sets for educational leaders bodes well for Nassau County schools. He is a keen thinker and strategic educational leader who has been sought after as a consultant and public speaker around the globe."
