About Richard Hungerford

Richard H. Hungerford

(1903-1974)

Meet Richard H. Hungerford, a special educator from Concord, Michigan, who worked in the Detroit Public School System.

He did amazing things for special education in New York City:

- He was the Director of the Bureau for Children with Retarded Mental Development for the New York City Public Schools during the Fiorello H. LaGuardia Administration (Served from 1942-1958).

- He changed special education in NYC, making it better for kids with different needs.

- He started the Core Curriculum and kept making it better.

- He set goals for each kid to help them learn and grow.

- He made new ways for kids to learn language arts and math.

- He came up with the idea of "Occupational Education."

- He started journals for teachers to learn new ideas.

- He wanted special high schools for kids to learn practical skills.

- Later in his life, he came back to NYC to check how special classes were doing.

- He left NYC to be the first superintendent of a state school in Mansfield, Connecticut.

- Then, he was the superintendent of the Laconia State School in New Hampshire.

- He helped special education programs in Galveston/Houston, Texas.

- He's in "Who's Who in America" for being an amazing special educator.

- He wrote many articles, talking about important things like brotherhood and going to college.

- He taught special education at different universities, making sure others learned from him.

Now, the P721R Richmond Occupational Training Center is named "The Richard H. Hungerford School" to remember him and his great ideas. He called it an "Island of Excellence" when he visited.