Should I have the level controls on my amplifier turned all the way up?

This is a very common question. Generally, it is good practice to leave the controls set fully up. Bear in mind that the controls are just attenuators - they can only remove gain not boost it.

It really depends on your mixer :

Most inexpensive mixers indicate 0dB at an output of OdBu which corresponds to an output of 0.775 volts.

In order to set your controls accordingly, the amplifier should have an input sensitivity of 0.775V and if this is the case then you should set the controls to maximum.

More expensive mixers have a higher output capability and indicate full output (0dB on the meters) at +4dBu which is actually around 1.2 volts.

This is a big differential and the difference in output between mixer 1 at 0dBu and mixer 2 at +4dBu is equivalent to having an amplifier that is more than twice as powerful!

To cope with the extra level of mixer 2 you would usually set your amplifier input sensitivity at 1.4V which corresponds to around +5dBu.

In both cases above, when the meter on the desk hits the zero mark, the amplifier will reach full power. In both cases, turning down the control will mean that you will need to drive the mixer much harder to achieve full power.

It's best to let the mixer control the level - not the amplifier.
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