A9 Monday January 7, 2013 tulsaworld.

com

Michael Overall
michael.overall @tulsaworld.com 918-581-8383

Law may change TPS policy

The board will consider good-cause exemptions for student promotion.
BY ANDREA EGER
World Sta Writer

Attorneys challenge anew an Edmond soldiers conviction of murder in a combat zone. A12

Average students get vote of arrogance

any years ago, my favorite journalism professor had a freelance opportunity to o er to one of his students, and he asked a room full of us for a volunteer. Who thinks youre the best writer here? he wanted to know. Of course, every 19-year-old aspiring journalist thinks hes the best writer since Hemingway, never mind a bunch of underclassmen. But we were too modest to admit it. So we looked around at each other, waiting to see who would raise a hand, until the professor gave up and chose somebody himself. I made $50 from the deal and got my rst professional byline, plus extra credit in class. Did the professor pick me because he knew I was the best? I thought so, naturally. But he later told me that I was just skinny and he thought I could use the money for food. And your lead was kind of weak, too, he added. Everybody needs an ego check now and then. It makes you work harder the next time around. On the American Freshman Survey, question No. 41 wants you to compare yourself against the average person your age, rating your strengths and weaknesses on a list of 19 character traits. When the annual survey began in 1966, most college freshmen had a pretty high opinion of the average person, or maybe just a realistic opinion of themselves. Between 60 percent and 70 percent marked themselves average or below average in most ways. Since then, more than 15 million students have taken the survey, meant to give universities a demographic picture of their incoming classes. And apparently, the average guy isnt what he used to be. Three out of four freshmen now consider themselves driven to succeed more than most other people. Two out of three think they have more leadership ability. And three out of ve describe themselves as more intellectual. Its like everybody grew up at Lake Wobegon. We want our kids to have a healthy dose of self-esteem, but even water can kill you if you drink too much. Twenty-ve years ago, according to the surveys, half of all students spent at least six hours a week studying outside of class which, frankly, wouldnt have gotten you a D-minus from my old professor. Now, barely one out of three put that much e ort into it ironic, considering how driven theyre supposed to be. Self-condence is knowing you can succeed if you work hard enough. Arrogance is thinking it will be easy.

A change in state law meant to end social promotion of public school students has the Tulsa school board considering a policy revision. Recent amendments to Oklahomas Reading Su ciency Act call for retaining students who are found to have reading deciencies

on state tests during the 2013-2014 academic year. This had to be added into district policy because of the change in state law. There are several options for remediation, but these kids who will be in third grade next year have to have that reading prociency to meet these requirements, said Steve Mayeld, interim chief of sta at Tulsa Public Schools.

or above grade level by the end of their third-grade year. The latest amendment, sponsored by Sen. Clark Jolley, REdmond, and Rep. Sally Kern, ROklahoma City, is aimed at ending social promotion, or the consideration of a childs social and psychological well-being, in addition to academics, in deciding whether to promote them to the next grade. The Reading Su ciency Act, The policy change the Tulsa which has undergone several school board will be taking up at a amendments since being enacted meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Monday by the Legislature in 1997, already SEE EXEMPT A12 mandates that all students read at
Steve Mayeld: The interim chief of sta at TPS says there are several options for remediation but the requirements must be met.

PROFICIENCY

CIVIL COURT: YOU (DO NOT) HAVE A RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY

Eric Widger Sr., a beneciary of Legal Aid, stands in front of his north Tulsa house. The nonprot group, which provides free representation to people who cant a ord an attorney, helped Widger settle a lawsuit with a roong company. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

Legal Aid levels the eld for oppressed

BY MICHAEL OVERALL
World Sta Writer

In defense of fairness
knew I wouldnt be able to a ord an attorney. To defend themselves, Widger and his wife spent several hours in a library, searching through law books and trying to understand the relevant precedents. But we were going to lose no matter what, he said. When you dont have a lawyer, the system is stacked against you. The Widgers wound up with their bank account frozen. And they expected to spend the rest of their lives hopelessly in debt, until a relative told them to call Legal Aid. I had never heard of it, Widger said. I had no idea there was anything like it out there. Funded by a hodgepodge of grants, donations and taxpayer money, Legal Aid main-

Trauma therapy to be o ered in-home

Family and Childrens Services is expanding its treatment to home visits.
BY MIKE AVERILL
World Sta Writer

Bills came in the mail every once in a while, asking Eric Widger to pay for work that a roong company had never nished. Insurance was paying for damage from the 2007 ice storm, but the roofers wanted more money. And when he wouldnt or couldnt pay, they walked o the job. I had already paid half up front, Widger said. They werent getting any more. But eventually, instead of another bill, he got a court summons. The roong company was suing him and his wife for $20,000. They knew I was on disability, said Widger, who su ers from epilepsy while raising two teenage children with autism. They

tains 21 o ces across the state with 65 attorneys on sta . But thats not nearly enough to keep up with demand, so some cases get farmed out to Cesar Tavares and other private lawyers, who waive their usual fees. All the work is done pro bono, or free of charge, for low-income families and senior citizens. In a criminal case, you have the right to an attorney, Tavares explained. And if you cant a ord one, the court appoints one for you. In civil cases, however, defendants have no such right. If you cant a ord an attorney, he said,
SEE LEGAL A12

The reason I became a lawyer was to help people. Obviously, thats why I went to law school. And here was a chance to really do it, to really help somebody. CESAR TAVARES, attorney

Family and Childrens Services is expanding its Child Abuse and Trauma Services program to include in-home child trauma treatment. The new initiative is designed for families who have barriers preventing them from consistently attending o ce appointments. Lack of transportation, the inability to miss work and a ording child care for siblings are some of the biggest barriers, said Christine Marsh, director of Child Abuse and Trauma Services at Family and Childrens Services.
SEE HOME A12

Smoking, obesity and inactivity remain key factors in the states poor health ranking.
BY TIM TALLEY
Associated Press

Oklahomas health ranked 43rd

For more
Americans, obesity and junk food. D6

OKLAHOMA CITY A stateby-state ranking of Americas health puts Oklahoma 43rd in the nation in the wellness of its citizens, and Dr. Terry Cline says thats good news for a state that was ranked 49th when he took over as state health commissioner in 2009. The bad news, Cline says, is that Oklahoma is still in the bottom 10 in health rankings nationwide,

pulled down by high rates of smoking, obesity and sedentary lifestyles that result in thousands of premature deaths every year. You dont need to be dying in your 50s and 60s. How do you change that norm? Cline said. If youre in the bottom ve, even in the bottom 10, that to me is alarming. My goal is to get us out of the bottom 10. Cline, a clinical psychologist who serves as Gov. Mary Fallins secretary of health and human services, is spearheading the Oklahoma Health Improvement Plan, a blueprint for

improving health that encourages Oklahomans to eat better, move more and become tobacco free. The good news is those are all things we can inuence, Cline said. They drive health outcomes. The 2012 health rankings were released last month by the United Health Foundation, a nonprot, private foundation dedicated to improving health and health care. Oklahomas ranking of 43rd is the second worst in the seven-state region. Arkansas ranked 48th. The other bordering states were healthier, including Texas, ranked 40th, and Colorado, which was ranked 11th the highest health ranking in the region. Cline, 54, said improving the states health ranking relative to

other states is not a competition to see which state will claim the top ranking, which in 2012 went to Vermont. But it is a race because our lives depend on it, said Cline, an Ardmore native who has been involved in public health issues for more than 20 years. The implications are really serious. It has very serious, dire consequences. Cline is a former state secretary of health and commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services who left those positions in 2006 to become the head of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
SEE HEALTH A12