A NATIONAL SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE PERTAINING TO POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF TEACHER SELECTION WAS SENT TO OVER 380 LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE NATION. ONLY THOSE SYSTEMS HAVING AN ENROLLMENT OF AT LEAST 12,000 STUDENTS WERE INCLUDED. COMPARISONS WERE MADE WITH RESPECT TO SCHOOL SYSTEM SIZE, TEACHER SELECTION RATE, TEACHER TURNOVER RATE, AND STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO BY ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING RESPONSES OF 85 PERCENT OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. LIMITATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY WERE DISCUSSED, AND SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH WERE OFFERED. A MAJOR FINDING WAS THAT SELECTION METHODS IN MOST SCHOOL SYSTEMS FOCUS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON THE OVERT, PERIPHERAL ASPECTS OF THEIR TEACHER CANDIDATES, AND NOT ON COVERT, DYNAMIC PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS. IT APPEARED, THEREFORE, THAT MOST SELECTION PROCEDURES ARE DETERMINED BY WHAT IS EASILY OBTAINED RATHER THAN ON WHAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT TO ASSESS, INCLUDING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS. (JH)