This article has been drawn from the observations, interpretations and reflections resulting from my first year of research as a PhD student. In September 2002 citizenship education became a mandatory entitlement of the KS3 and KS4 curriculum in England (ages 11-16 years). The initial focus of my research in this first year of a new government initiative was to monitor the unfolding impact of citizenship education within my workplace: from the position of all stakeholders. This research has been carried out whilst I also hold the position of coordinator of citizenship education in an English high school. A case-study approach was, and continues to be, employed in which I have gathered both qualitative and quantitative data. The results that can be drawn from some of the data so far collected, however, are both contentious and potentially contradictory and therefore offer valuable material for discussion both on their own merits as well as on my own position as researcher. This article identifies the conflict of views over the value of evidence-based research in the teaching profession, locates these within the context of my own experiences with both staff and students, and suggests possible solutions for the dilemma faced by a researcher-practitioner who finds his/her activities curtailed by ethical issues.