Call for Nominations

Nominate someone now for the 2024 awards! SERC is seeking nominations of individuals, organizations, schools, or districts.

SERC created this award to honor and highlight the demonstration of extraordinary acts of commitment and courage to ensure all Connecticut students, especially students of color and culturally and linguistically diverse students, are valued and respected in their school experience.

Award recipients will be selected based on their steadfast and unwavering action in:

• Advocating for children and families of color;
• Galvanizing individuals and coalitions toward equitable action;
• Taking risks in conversation and action regarding issues of equity for racially, linguistically and culturally diverse groups;
• Engaging the diverse needs of members  of an education community and reconciling them toward a shared vision; and
• Furthering the exchange of information that affects thinking and effects conviction on matters of equity.

Nominations of students are encouraged.

Please submit completed nomination packages to SERC by December 8, 2024 .
Nominators and awardees will be notified no later than March 1, 2024.

We look forward to receiving your nomination packages.  Should you have any questions and/or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Heather at SERC, (860) 632-1485, ext. 263, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A complete nomination package must include the following: 

1. Completed Nomination Entry Form
2. Letter of Nomination (1 page limit) *Please include in the letter the nominator’s relationship to nominee, contributions and areas of involvement of the nominee, and evidence of the impact of the nominee’s work toward racially equitable outcomes.
3. Biography of Nominee (1 page limit)
4. One Letter of Support (1 page limit) *Letter of support can be from schools, community organizations, or individuals who know of the nominee’s active involvement in working for racial equity; it should include specific examples and evidence of the impact and contribution made by the nominee to a local school and/or community organization because of their involvement and engagement.

Instructions

• Please gather the items listed above.
• Submit all items to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include "2024 Coleman Award Nomination" in the subject line
• Please note: Incomplete nomination packets will not be considered! Ensure that all required items are included in your email submission.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The State Education Resource Center (SERC), which has called Middletown its home for a majority of its five decades in operation, is moving to Waterbury in mid-February.

Following approval from the SERC Board of Directors, the quasi-public agency has signed a 10-year lease for the property located alongside the Brass Mill Commons Shopping Center in Waterbury. SERC will use 11,568 square feet over three stories of the building at 175 Union Street, in which the ground floor will include SERC’s specialized library as well as meeting and training space.

For many years, SERC operated out of two buildings in Middletown within a short distance of each other. While 25 Industrial Park Road housed the SERC Library and rooms for workshops and other activities, 100 Roscommon Drive provided most of the office space. By 2017, SERC had consolidated into a single, more limited area at Roscommon and began considering new locations.

Among the key considerations for the new location included the need to accommodate the entire library, some of the professional learning opportunities SERC provides to educators and members of the public, and the needs of the staff. SERC serves the entire state, and the search focused on locations that were relatively accessible to those living and working in towns and cities across the Connecticut region. The SERC Board ultimately chose the Waterbury site.

“It’s a beautiful building within the heart of the city,” said SERC Executive Director Ingrid M. Canady. “We’re excited to become part of a vibrant area, and we look forward to being in a space that’s open and welcoming to everyone.” The building, in the center of the former Brass Capital of the World, was formerly the Timexpo Museum sharing local history related to clocks and watches.

“It has been a true pleasure working with Ingrid and her team over the past year to renovate the Timexpo building, and we are thrilled to have them a part of the Waterbury community,” said Thomas Hyde, CEO of the Naugatuck Valley Regional Development Corporation. “SERC’s decision to relocate to Waterbury is a testament to its central location and easy access for organizations looking to establish a presence in the state and region.”

The state first established SERC in 1969 as a small library on the campus of then St. Joseph College in West Hartford. The agency would grow over its ensuing decades, primarily in Middletown. With SERC having celebrated more than 50 years of service to the state, it is now positioned to grow further as part of the Waterbury community.

“We couldn’t ask for a better partner to relocate to Waterbury than the State Education Resource Center,” said Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary. “We have worked tirelessly in Waterbury with the goal to support the achievement of all learners by inspiring, preparing, and ultimately setting the students on a successful path in life. SERC’s training, support, research, and professional development tools that are available to our educators and their families enables us to be better equipped to achieve our educational goals. Having SERC located in the heart of Waterbury will make accessing their resources and training even easier. We look forward to a rewarding partnership with SERC.”

Update: Addendum #1, Answers to Sumitted Questions, has been posted. Download it below.

SERC RFP Number: BLCSpeakersbureau2023
State Education Resource Center (SERC)
Contact Person: Michelle Weaver, General Counsel, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Overview and Purpose

Local Education Agencies (LEAs) need helpful resources and expertise that will ensure effective implementation of CT’s African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino Course of Study (“the Course”).

The Speakers Bureau Directory (“the Directory”) will provide a list of professionals and organizations with expertise (e.g., support for teaching and learning, historical knowledge, clarification of the Course objectives, National Social Studies Standards, Connecticut Social Studies Standards, Curriculum Resources) that LEAs can access as needed. The Directory will serve as a resource to support student engagement and learning by providing access to the wealth of experience available in community organizations and individuals who are available to provide historical context to supplement the Course. Speakers are responsible for negotiating agreements, including fees, and other costs, directly with organizations.

QUALIFICATIONS*

Selected Speakers will demonstrate relevant expertise and experience which may include: African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino History, Connecticut and National Social Studies Standards, genealogy, the arts (art, music, drama, spoken word); classroom strategies and engagement of diverse student learners.

:*Speakers who have presented three or more sessions for the Course are not required to submit qualifications. Instead send an email to the contact person with a request to be considered for the Directory.

Proposal Schedule (Eastern Time)

For more information including qualifications, deliverables and proposal submission instructions, download the full Request for Proposals

Download Addendum 1, Answers to Submitted Questions

Curriculum information and resources can be found here:
https://ctserc.org/pa1912

The State Education Resource Center (SERC) is committed to a policy of equal opportunity/affirmative action for all qualified persons. SERC does not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability (including, but not limited to, intellectual disability, past or present history of mental disorder, physical disability or learning disability), genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by Connecticut state and/or federal nondiscrimination laws. SERC does not unlawfully discriminate in employment against qualified persons with a prior criminal conviction. Inquiries regarding SERC’s nondiscrimination policies should be directed to:

Michelle Weaver
General Counsel, SERC
100 Roscommon Drive,
Suite 110
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 632-1485, ext. 364
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.