Intended as a primer for those unfamiliar with teacher education, this monograph discusses general issues and problems related to the recruitment, education, and retention of high-quality educational personnel; the instructional needs of disadvantaged pupils; and basic issues and problems which have arisen specifically with reference to the recruitment, education, and retention of teachers for the disadvantaged. Each section includes a review of related research, relevant examples of current activity and thought, and bibliographic references. An appendix contains four short papers by the author: 1) "Notes on Personalized Classroom Instruction"; 2) "Prediction of School Failure Among the Disadvantaged"; 3) "Notes on the Systematic Evaluation of Teacher Education Programs"; and 4)"The Effective Teacher and Specialist as an In-service Educator: A Model. (RT)