[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              A TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF JEAN K. HOLBROOK, ED.D

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 14, 2010

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an extraordinary 
educator and community leader, Dr. Jean K. Holbrook, who is retiring 
after four decades of outstanding service in San Mateo County, 
California. Under her leadership, county schools have made impressive 
and promising strides forward, teaching students to love learning and 
preparing them to enter a globalized workforce.
  Born and raised in Minnesota, Dr. Holbrook received her Bachelor's 
Degree in English from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, before moving 
to California for further studies. Already committed to educational 
leadership, she earned a Master's Degree in Secondary Education and 
Educational Administration from San Francisco State University, and a 
Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of San 
Francisco.
  A longtime resident of San Mateo, Dr. Holbrook began working as a 
researcher for the San Mateo Education Research Center and rose to 
become its Director. Since then, she served as Deputy Superintendent 
and Associate Superintendent of Instructional Services, before being 
appointed San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools in January 2006, 
and subsequently elected to a four-year term in 2007.
  As Superintendent, Dr. Holbrook oversaw a $1.5 billion budget, 
instructional and curricular assistance, and special education for 23 
school districts and nearly 90,000 students. Announcing her decision to 
serve a second term, Dr. Holbrook stated her desire ``to make the 
county office more effective in providing countywide leadership.'' Dr. 
Holbrooke succeeded. During her tenure, schools and scores improved 
substantially, and her committed efforts were widely praised. Dr. 
Holbrook took pride in San Mateo County's gains, while soberly noting 
that ``the challenge remains to meet the needs of all students and to 
close the achievement gap where it exists.'' For Dr. Holbrook, the 
glass was neither half full nor half empty. She believed, as did 
William Butler Yeats, that ``education is not the filling of a pail, 
but the lighting of a fire.''
  She worked hard to `light that fire,' serving on a wide array of 
civic and educational organizations in addition to her career with the 
San Mateo County Office of Education. Dr. Holbrook is a member of the 
First 5 Commission and the California County Superintendents 
Educational Association Pre-K Task Force, chairs the Peninsula 
Partnership Leadership Council, and co-chairs the Child Care 
Partnership Council. Involving herself in all aspects of her community, 
she is also active in the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Jean 
Holbrook's forty years of extraordinary leadership. Throughout her 
career, Dr. Holbrook's greatest gift was that she never forgot to treat 
each and every one of her 90,000 students as individuals with 
extraordinary potential. When she retired, Dr. Holbrook thanked the 
County for the ``profound honor of serving as Superintendent, but it is 
San Mateo County and the surrounding communities that are honored by 
her contributions. As a San Mateo County resident and public servant, I 
am extremely proud to call Dr. Holbrook my friend and even prouder of 
the profoundly positive impact of her life's work on our community, on 
our children, and on our country.

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