THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011
PAGE 5.
NATIONAL
A state-by-state look at effects of NE snowstorm
Winter whiteout shocks and damages the Northeast
ASSOCIATED PRESS
VERMONT: About 7,500 lost power at some point. Areas devastated in August by remnants of Hurricane Irene reported 13 inches.
An early-season snowstorm shocked the Northeast over the weekend with up to 30 inches of snow in some areas. The wet, heavy snow accumulated on still-leafy trees and snapped off branches or toppled them altogether, taking down power lines. Fewer than 2 million people were still without power Monday, and at least 21 deaths, including one in Canada, are blamed on the storm through traffic accidents, electrocutions and other causes.
NEW YORK: About 215,000 without power, down from more than 300,000. Dozens of motorists stranded up to 10 hours on snow-covered highways north of New York City. Crews race to clean fallen trees from Central Park before New York City Marathon the coming weekend. At least three deaths.
PENNSYLVANIA: More than 200,000 without power, down from about a half-million. At least eight deaths.
MARYLAND: About 3,500 without power, down from about 43,000.
WASHINGTON. D.C.: Trace of snow ties 1925 record for the date.
MAINE: About 7,500 without power, down from about 160,000.
MASSACHUSETTS: About 450,000 without power. Delays on commuter rail into Boston. Dozens of school districts cancel classes; many communities call off Halloween trick-or-treating because of downed power lines. At least three deaths.
RHODE ISLAND: More than 1,700 without power, down from about 20,000. Crews try to raise a sunken barge containing hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel.
CONNECTICUT: More than 750,000 customers still without power, down from more than 830,000, a number that broke the state record set by the remnants of Hurricane Irene in August. Communications disrupted because of damage to hundreds of cellphone towers. Passengers stranded for seven hours or more on tarmac at Hartford's airport after being diverted from New York-area airports. At least two deaths. President Barack Obama signs emergency declaration for federal aid.
GRAPHIC BY BEN PIROTTE
RESEARCH
Center receives $7.5 M to study online learning for the disabled
BOBBY BURCH
bburch@kansan.com
The University's Center for Research on Learning received a $7.5 million grant to study the
effectiveness of online learning for students with disabilities in kindergarten through 12th grade.
TRICK OR DRINKS
The study will help advance new uses of technology in education, in said Diana Greer, assistant research professor at the center. She said the grant will also help researchers
other organizations: The National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the Center for Applied Special Technology. Both organizations provide educational services for students with
"We hope, through this center, to further expand work to make sure kids with disabilities or individuals with disabilities are included in this online movement."
SEAN SMITH associate professor of special education
understand how the Internet can improve learning.
"The rate of online learning is increasing at a dramatic pace and what we're finding is that we don't know a lot about effective online instruction for students with disabilities," Greer said. "As more and more of these students are using online as a means of instruction, it's important to learn about what's effective for these students."
The University's Center for Research on Learning will create the Center for Online Learning and Students with Disabilities with two
disabilities.
Researchers will carry out comprehensive surveys with students, teachers and parents in 25 states and will examine the approach of several pilot study sites nation-wide. The results will
help determine the effectiveness of online learning in general and specialized education curriculums.
Sue Geoffrion Neverve, special services teacher for Lawrence Virtual High School, works with 25 to 30 students in the district through
Lawrence USD 497's "Virtual High School" program, which the University's Center for Research works with, offers classes to students with disabilities.
Greer said that the study's findings will be circulated around the country to improve educational opportunities nationwide.
the online curriculum. Geoffrion Neverve said that she was pleased the University received the grant because online learning provides students who have disabilities access to education in a comfortable setting.
"Kids are all use to that anyway, they're growing up in a world that is all electronic," she said. "So the more we can develop things to match that and match their expectations — basically teach in their language — the better off we will be as educators."
Sean Smith, associate professor of special education at the University and co-principal investigator of the study, said that the Center didn't expect the five-year grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. Smith said that while the study focuses on kindergarteners through 12th graders, he hopes the findings can be applied to online learning in higher education as well.
"If you look around, the growth in online learning is tremendous," he said. "We hope, through this center, to further expand work to make sure kids with disabilities or individuals with disabilities are included in this online movement."
Edited by Sarah Champ
IAIN TRIMBLE/KANSAN
A The Grocers Manner
No candy for these trick-or-treaters. Students crowd the bar for drinks in celebration of Halloween at The Granada Monday.