The Republican National Convention is turning its focus on the plight of children, with the theme of "Opportunity with a Purpose: Leave No Child Behind." Nominee George W. Bush's education plans include holding states and districts receiving federal School Safety funds accountable for measuring and demonstrating improved safety, requiring states and districts to provide all students in persistently dangerous schools with the option of transferring to a safe school and creating a uniform system for reporting on school safety and publish the results widely.

Bush's health care plan aims to guarantee that individuals and families that do not receive employer-sponsored coverage and that are not eligible for public programs will receive a health credit of up to $1,000 per individual and $2,000 per family to cover up to 90 percent of the cost of health insurance. Bush also proposes a $3.6 billion plan to increase the number of community health centers from 3,000 to 4,200, enabling them to serve as many as 10 million new patients over the next five years. The proposal is part of the Governor's Initiative to "Strengthen the Health Care Safety Net" and includes provisions reforming the National Health Service Corps and establishing a $500 million demonstration grant fund to target specific community health needs.

On One Hand...

Governor Bush is closing the achievement gap between ethnic groups in Texas and will do the same for the entire country if elected. During his tenure as Governor, all ethnic groups in Texas - in all grades - have advanced in reading and math. Texas is one of two states that have made the greatest progress in education in recent years, according to the National Education Goals Panel. Bush's health care proposals will ensure more children and families have health insurance and access to quality health care.

On the Other Hand...

Bush and the Republicans still don't understand that without spending more money on social programs, more than 20 percent of children in this country will continue to live in poverty. While the Republicans propose health care initiatives, the fact is that the Urban Institute ranks Texas 49th in children with health insurance. Do we really want a leader in the White House with this kind of record?

• The number of Texas schools rated "exemplary" grew from 67 in 1994 when Bush was elected, to 1,120 by 2000.

• Texas is ranked the fourth worst state to raise a child.

• Texas is tied for the third worst percentage of children in poverty.

  Republican National Convention, Boston Globe, Annie E. Casey Foundation