The paper summarizes recruitment and retention approaches designed to assist rural school administrators in securing/holding well-prepared/qualified teachers and presents findings from a 1985 study that examined teachers' perceptions of professional preparation. Outlined recruitment approaches include paying candidate's interview and moving expenses, hiring husband/wife teams, emphasizing local school autonomy, and providing comprehensive fringe benefits. Retention strategies include preschool/ongoing orientation programs, new teacher/master teacher pairing, regular classroom visits by administrators, professional days for school visitation and workshop/conference participation. Findings from a study of 1984 teacher education graduates from the Universities of Iowa and Vermont indicated that those accepting teaching positions in rural schools considered other benefits (school climate, sense of community, "traditional" social values) more important than starting salary, but professional conditions and growth potential must exist to retain teachers. Responses from 170 teachers in urban (43%), suburban (26%), and rural (30%) districts reported average annual salaries of $14,004, $14,042, and $12,221, respectively. Respondents from suburban and urban school districts rated their preparation higher than those in rural districts. Findings support the perception that teacher education is not providing adequate preparation of teachers for rural districts and suggest that recruitment/retention of teachers might be further complicated by that deficiency. (NEC)