Questions and issues surrounding ethnographic research in educational settings are discussed from the viewpoint of the research manager responsible for directing large-scale research projects. The parts of an ethnographic study include: (1) conceptualizing the research project and determining if ethnographic methods are called for; (2) recruiting and training ethnographers (i.e., field workers); (3) negotiating ethnographers' presence on-site; (4) maintaining communication and coordination between the ethnographer, site personnel, and researcher; (5) developing formats for data recording and processing; (6) determining strategies to reduce the volume of data so that meaning and richness are not lost; and (7) interpreting and relating the qualitative data effectively. Ethnography is a very important research methodology, but it is no easy out for those who would like to avoid specifying research questions and research designs in advance. Even when well thought out and well managed, ethnographic studies can be complex, frustrating, and expensive. (RL)