Providing basic education for all children by 2015 is one of the world's major educational objectives and teachers are crucial to achieving this. This article argues that not enough attention has been paid to the specific training needs of teachers in rural areas. Focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa it argues (i) that large-scale statistical data should highlight rather than mask urban-rural disparities and (ii) that ethnographic studies of teachers can provide rich descriptions of specific training needs. Drawing on a study of rural teachers' lives it suggests that a reconsideration of the evidence base for teacher education is necessary.