The authors examine the competing pressures on the education community posed by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) and its mandates, and the less specific, but visible demands that an increasingly global economy place upon education planners, policy makers and researchers. This conflict is examined from a national, regional and local perspective, with examples and citations from the recent literature and interview quotations from Idaho teachers. The authors also point to some specific issues regarding the research methods mandated by the NCLBA, and the problems these mandates may create in the education policy and research communities.