Recruiting and retaining good teachers has recently reemerged as an important policy concern on the national agenda, as shortages of qualified teachers have appeared in a number of regions around the country. This four-section report addresses the recruitment and retention of teachers. The first section considers the shortage of high quality teachers, proposed explanations, and how teacher personnel policies are a strategic area for addressing the problmem. The second section describes the samples and data drawn upon to provide insights into a broad array of teacher personnel policies and practices. Section three examines important features shaped by teacher personnel policies, factors which may mediate these policies in important ways, and possible consequences of those policies. The final section offers hypotheses about how various teacher personnel policies may have significant educational consequences. (CB)