Video by Ken Newton

Most Wednesdays find members of Congress in the nation's capital. This Wednesday, representatives from the region looked content to be in a school auditorium and a field with manure.

Missouri Rep. Sam Graves and Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins took the day during congressional recess to touch base with their home districts, the issues ranging from the disposal of dead cows to the No Child Left Behind law.

Both Republican lawmakers insisted the constituent contact came with informed candor and considerable benefit for them for their work in Washington.

Mr. Graves held an afternoon forum for educators at the Cameron School District headquarters. The hour-long session included his assessment of federal school policy, especially the No Child Left Behind legislation currently up for reauthorization. The lawmaker offered a three-pronged approach to improving the measure that passed Congress in 2001.

He wants the law changed to differentiate between schools that fail in one criterion from those that fail in all 13 criteria. The lawmaker also said he believes students with individualized education plans should be considered apart from the law, since their progress is already tracked.

Finally, Mr. Graves wants the law to adopt a "growth model" that tracks individual students through the system instead of their classes.

Dr. Linda Gray Smith, superintendent of the Chillicothe School District, told the congressman she believes that the federal legislation has had beneficial effects.

"It made us focus on some children and how they're achieving," she said before adding an educator's reality. "We can't get to 100 percent proficiency."

Others at the forum took issue with aspects of federal education policy, particularly school provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Dr. Jim Hinson, superintendent of Independence public schools, thought public conceptions about stimulus funds aimed at education are misunderstood.

"This thinking across the country of public education receiving over $100 billion and it will solve a lot of issues, that's simply not true," he said, noting the money would not keep him from employee layoffs. "It doesn't do anything to really restructure or change or improve public education."

Mr. Graves said the influx of federal dollars might provide some help, but only in the short term. "Don't get real excited about the stimulus money," he cautioned. "It's going to be gone."

Over in Kansas, Ms. Jenkins said she was looking to get her "marching orders" from people in the 2nd District. The day's agenda included stops to gather information about agriculture at Doniphan County farms and rural health care at Hiawatha Community Hospital. Her game plan included more listening than talking.

"What constituents should not do is assume I already know about a concern," the congresswoman said. "I'm taking my notes."

At the Meng dairy operation outside Troy, Fred Meng said changed federal regulations about the disposal of dead cows has caused concerns about cattlemen. He urged Ms. Jenkins, who grew up on a dairy farm, to continue following the issue.

"You lose cows, that's part of the game," he said.

After the freshman lawmaker toured the facility, she chatted with 13-year-old Jacob Meng about Slim, the county champion Holstein that he shows.

"I tried to love on her and she wasn't having any part of it," said Ms. Jenkins, at ease with the cow.

Ken Newton can be reached at kenn@npgco.com.