Our principles

We are Frederick County residents. We are an independent, non-partisan education analysis and advocacy organization focused on explaining how education policy in Maryland actually works. We use primary sources, public data, and firsthand accounts to evaluate decisions and outcomes in public education.

We endorse candidates based on publicly stated, evidence-based criteria related to education policy, governance, and accountability. We analyze policies and records, and distinguish clearly between what is known, disputed, and unclear. Our goal is to help parents and taxpayers make informed judgments about both policies and the people who make them.

We promote the following ideas to improve education in our county and across Maryland.

• Ethical campaigning, in which school board candidates do not accept money or political support from unions or companies that contract with the school system.

• Parental rights, meaning that schools inform parents of their child’s mental health status and allow them to opt in or out of curricula that conflict with their family’s values.

• Effective curricula and teaching methods, including scientifically-based reading, math curricula that pursues in depth mastery, and content-rich curricula in all subjects.

• Sensible spending, which gets more money to teachers and classrooms and streamlines operations.

• School choice, including charter schools, voucher and educational scholarships, education savings accounts, public consortium programs, and tax credits.

• Informed and balanced leadership, in which school board members are knowledgeable about education issues and not using the school board as a stepping stone to higher office. We support principled candidates who support our priorities.

• Statesmanship, defined as wisdom in public affairs, as the primary purpose of public schools. We will strive to embody statesmanship in our actions.