Hughes, James Monroe, 1890-

School administrator; Professor of Education, Northwestern University, 1924-1956; Acting Dean (1941-45) and Dean (1945-1951) of Northwestern's School of Education.

James Monroe Hughes was born on October 17, 1890, near Sharpsville Indiana, the son of Thomas and Laura Quinn Hughes. For 52 years Hughes was a teacher and school administrator, holding positions at all levels of education. He joined the faculty of Northwestern University's School of Education in 1924, was appointed Dean of the School in 1945, and retired in 1956. Hughes was also the author of 6 books.

Hughes attended schools in Tipton County Indiana and went to Indiana University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics in 1916. He continued his education, receiving a Master of Arts in 1922 from Columbia University and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1924 from the University of Minnesota, both in School Administration.

For 52 years Hughes was a teacher and school administrator, holding positions at all levels of education. Hughes began to focus his interest and attention on school supervision early in his career and maintained this throughout his career. Between 1909 and 1922 he served as teacher, superintendent and principal in Indiana grade schools and high schools. He had also taught Physics while attending Indiana University. In 1922-1923 he was Instructor in Education at Hamlin University and in 1923-1924 he was Lecturer in Education at the University of Minnesota. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Education at Northwestern University in 1924, Associate Professor in 1926 and Professor one year later. Hughes served as acting Dean of the School of Education between October 1941 and March 27, 1945, when he was appointed Dean. He served in that capacity until 1951 and in 1956 became Professor Emeritus. In addition, at various times during his career and during his retirement he held summer and part-time teaching appointments at several schools.

Hughes' early years as Dean of Northwestern's School of Education were largely overshadowed by World War II. In 1943, however, he and administrators from other schools and departments responsible for the training of teachers were able to develop a new program of teacher education. In April 1943 he called for a discussion of the organizational problems of teacher training at Northwestern, an analysis of the role of the School of Education in the program and a policy for a post-war program. Cooperating with the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Music, the School of Speech and the School of Commerce, a new program for teacher training was put into effect in September 1945. The Program proposed “a practical integration of liberal education, professional education and content education in subject matter teaching fields.”

In addition to his teaching and administrative duties, Hughes was an active member of several professional organizations and a frequent contributor to educational publications. He was also the author of the following books: Factors Conditioning Achievement of Pupils, University of Minnesota Press, 1924; Supervision of Instruction in High School, Public School Publishing Co., 1930; Attitudes and Preferences of Teachers, Northwestern University Press, 1936; Administering Secondary Schools, American Book, 1940; Human Relations in Educational Organization, Harper, 1957; Education in America, Harper, 1960, revised in 1965 and 1970.

On August 15, 1942, Hughes was married to Kathleen Pye, whom he had net at Northwestern. They had one child, James Charles Hughes. Hughes died on October 26, 1971 in Evanston, Illinois.