The findings of an ethnographic study of schooling and work in a small rural community in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York are reported. More than half the school children in the community live in poverty. Research explores the relationships between patterns of adult work and the schooling of children, and between schooled and non-schooled uses of literacy. Discussion focuses on one aspect of the disjuncture between home and school, the role of standards and requirements. More than 75 interviews were conducted over a 3-year period with students, teachers, parents, school administrators, and community members. Six families were visited at home. Classroom observations were made, and information was collected from archival and government sources. Most families seem to see the school as a place for important ceremonies and social events, but not as a place to strive for economic security or social mobility. There are many conflicts between students and teachers, teachers and parents, and families and school administration. Ideally, the setting of standards and requirements involves a tacit agreement between those who set them and those who try to satisfy them that such measures probably represent bona fide qualifications for goal attainment. In the community observed, different views of standards and requirements made fertile ground for conflict. The social and economic reasons for the differences are discussed. (SLD)