U.S. society proposes that all students should have equal opportunities to achieve academically; therefore, urban and rural schools that serve socio-economically disadvantaged students must employ highly qualified teachers who are prepared to teach in those particular school environments. Recruitment practices, teacher preparation programs, and teachers' perceptions of urban and rural school settings should be considered. A number of studies have found that teacher attrition is disproportionately higher in low-income, hard-to-staff schools. Teachers tend to leave schools that serve high proportions of low-achieving, minority students who reside in low socio-economic areas. This study examines some factors that contribute to this trend. The purpose of this study was to identify issues that contribute to the difficulty of recruiting, preparing, and retaining qualified teachers in areas that have large populations of rural and urban school districts, particularly those in Mississippi. Information was gathered from teachers in seven public schools in a small Mississippi school district using two surveys; an adapted version of the "Ohio Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey" developed by Leona Skunza-Keith and the "Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale developed by" Megan Tschannen-Moran and Anita Hoy. The actual number of participants was 102. Eighty of the teachers were female and 22 were male. Respondents were grouped by specific years of teaching experience: 0-5, 6-18, and 18+. Teachers who believe that they cannot make a difference, have a higher rate of attrition. In this study, it was found that there was no significant difference on teacher efficacy as related by years of experience. Teachers felt they could make a difference in the classroom regardless to how many years they had been teaching. This study provides a small glimpse of the problems and possible solutions to the issues that continue to plague hard-to-staff schools. Further implications of the research questions are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.