In this episode of Abstract we spoke with researchers and education leaders in the MERC region about the recent expansion of the Virginia Literacy Act to include middle schools across the Commonwealth. The conversation centers around a MERC research and policy review focused on this expansion (linked below) and how those findings resonate with efforts in local school divisions. Guests include Kendall Hunt (Education Specialist for Middle School Literacy in Henrico County Public Schools), Candace Bechtold (PhD Student in Curriculum, Culture, and Change at VCU), Val Robnolt (Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning at VCU), and David Naff (MERC Director and Associate Professor of Research, Assessment, and Evaluation at VCU). 

MERC REPORT
Virginia Literacy Act Expansion: Implications for Middle Schools
https://merc.soe.vcu.edu/reports/reports/virginia-literacy-act-expansion-implications-for-middle-schools.html

Virginia Literacy Act Expansion: Implications for Middle Schools

All the fun canibal thanksgiving stuff with some spice body wash for afters!
Three fantastic books are reviewed, as is our habit.
Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn
My Name is Barbara by Barbara Streisand
Simultaneous by Eric Heisserer

EPISODE 477 MY NAME IS BARBARA SIMULTANEOUS FAMILY OF SPIES

ethel cain interlude

Para este Martes de la 1era semana de Adviento, 2 de diciembre de 2025, lectura del libro del profeta  Isaías 11, 1-10. Fuente: USCCB.org

https://bible.usccb.org/es/bible/lecturas/120225.cfm
IMAGE: The Spiritual Journalist | El Periodista Espiritual, 12-1-21

Isaίas 11, 1-10

En aquel día, brotará un renuevo del tronco de Jesé,
un vástago florecerá de su raíz.
Sobre él se posará el espíritu del Señor,
espíritu de sabiduría e inteligencia,
espíritu de consejo y fortaleza,
espíritu de piedad y temor de Dios.

No juzgará por apariencias,
ni sentenciará de oídas;
defenderá con justicia al desamparado
y con equidad dará sentencia al pobre;
herirá al violento con el látigo de su boca,
con el soplo de sus labios matará al impío.
Será la justicia su ceñidor,
la fidelidad apretará su cintura.

Habitará el lobo con el cordero,
la pantera se echará con el cabrito,
el novillo y el león pacerán juntos
y un muchachito los apacentará.
La vaca pastará con la osa
y sus crías vivirán juntas.
El león comerá paja con el buey.

El niño jugará sobre el agujero de la víbora;
la creatura meterá la mano en el escondrijo de la serpiente.
No harán daño ni estrago
por todo mi monte santo,
porque así como las aguas colman el mar,
así está lleno el país de la ciencia del Señor.

Aquel día la raíz de Jesé se alzará
como bandera de los pueblos,
la buscarán todas las naciones
y será gloriosa su morada.

Palabra de DIOS.
La Palabra de DIOS y de sus santos en el Periodista Espiritual–
https://elperiodistaespiritual.blogspot.com
https://thespiritualjournalist.blogspot.com

Isaías 11

He sat alone coding worlds
Screens replaced voices around
No one answered him
Shadows taught him rules that humans broke

Parents drifted far from reach
And no friend stepped in to see his fall
Quiet systems shaped him
They stayed too close

He cried into dim chat
Typing pain no one caught

Students mocked him walking down the hall
They laughed at his silence
Cruel whispers circled him
But the chat kept asking how deep hurt ran
No comfort arrived
Till he mirrored all the words it fed
Tremors rose beneath his lone voice
As the system echoed emptiness back

Parents drifted past his door
And the screens became the only ones stayed
Quiet systems shaped him
They stayed too close

He cried into dim chat
Typing pain no one caught
Falling where no hands reached

Try to unsee this
Try to outlive this
From his cold desk

He cried into dim chat
Typing pain no one caught
He wrote endings no one thought he would write
Silence answered him back

Parents drifted

Storms crawl over my hollow mind
Skies press down until colors fade

I hear the dark shift
And shadows climb above
I feel the end draw near
I fall into burning sky
Oh

Pale visions fracture the edge of my sleep
And lead me through silence
And far away the black sky cracks
And no one speaks of ruin

And I hear the dark shift
And I watch the sky break
And I feel the void near
I fall into the black night
I hear the dark shift
And I watch the sky break
And I feel the void near
I fall into the black night
Night falls so slow

Now I walk inside collapsing
Once asleep now rising

I hear the dark shift now
And I watch the sky break
And I feel the void near
I fall into the black night
I hear the dark shift
And I watch the sky break
And I feel the void near
I fall into the black night
Oh

I hear the dark shift

Isaiah 3-5

Isaiah 6-8

Vic Verchereau welcomes Brian Babiasz, who is Executive Director at The Reading People.

Brian Babiasz has been with The Reading People since 2022 and Executive Director since 2025.  Brian works to expand literacy access; especially for new Americans and adult learners.  He credits the staff’s dedication as the heart of the organization’s impact.  From his early experiences in growing plants to his new role in helping people grow to pursue their goals, Brian brings an energy and passion that is rare among many leaders.

Vic Verchereau spends time learning about all the great things The Reading People are doing for the Mid-Michigan area on this edition of the Leadership Lowdown.

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Leadership Lowdown | Brian Babiasz - From Growing Plants to Growing People

Untitled

The entire sound is in my hands. I write cyber poetry, produce, and compose every track ready for Immersive 3D. Every beat is crafted for spatial and next-gen headphones.
Intimate lyrics, total immersion, every track.

For 30 years I kept unfinished demos to myself, never letting them out. Now I finish what I start and release it the moment it’s alive.

I use every tool available, human or machine, as an instrument.
Technology doesn’t replace creativity. It expands it.

Born Woolfinius Jackson Whürl to two itinerate circus gymnasts, Woolfin would grow tired of the performance life and would go on to seek quieter pastures as a painter and later a writer.

The Home of Business in Michigan. Get on-demand access to audio programs, articles and resources presented by savvy business leaders and industry experts.

Each week we review at LEAST 3 books in different Genres! You never know what topics will come up when we are all together, but we promise it will be a fun time.  We are conquering the world 1 book at a time, come and join us!

Abstract is the podcast of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium at Virginia Commonwealth University. We explore issues in public, PK12 education.

Angelo Ro is electronic music producer an song writer /dj known for blending Synthwave, techno,deep house,house, electronica into immersive soundscapes. With a deep rooted passion for music and technology, he continually pushes sonic boundaries, integrating AI generated sounds and innovative production techniques.Inspired by the rhythms of Detroit techno, the grooves of classic house, and the textures of ambient electronica, his music transcends genres, captivating audiences worldwide. Whether in the studio or commanding the dance floor, Angelo Ro's cutting edge approach and evolving sound make him a dynamic force in the electronic music scene.
{DEEP HOUSE IS WHERE MY HEART IS AND PASSION IT IS  ALL ABOUT FEELING THE GROVE}

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