As the election season enters full swing this fall, local Board of Education candidates across Maryland will present their platforms to the public, while local organizations will try to determine which candidate best supports their views. In most districts, candidates will receive questionnaires from the teachers' union, the local newspapers, and a few civic organizations, but not from rank-and-file parents. Most questionnaires ask candidates general questions such as: "Why are you running for Board of Education?"; "How would you rate the performance of the Superintendent?"; and, in the case of the union, whether the candidate is disposed to support the existing collective bargaining agreement.

Rarely do these questionnaires probe candidates' knowledge for the specifics of their education policy positions. Unfortunately for parents, who tend not to question candidates, a candidate's views on nuts-and-bolts issues-such as what type of math and reading programs the school system uses-have the greatest impact on their children's education.

Those important questions usually go unasked and should be posed to the candidates. This article offers a questionnaire that parents can use to better ascertain candidates' views on important issues that often do not get the attention they deserve. It also provides an answer guide to help clearly differentiate between education reformers and candidates who support the education status quo.