This text seeks to show that researchers' interest in ethnography by the end of the seventies is related to the study of classroom interaction and innovative methods of assessment. Next, the text emphasizes some purposes and contributions of using ethnography in education, and points out the main criticism offered to the studies which focus on school everyday life. In the last part, the text discusses the main dilemmas brought about by the ethnographic approach in education, and the new trends which try to overcome these dilemmas.