Staffs of 32 small Western rural high schools with fewer than 200 students were the focus of a study designed to: generate attitudinal "profiles" of teachers and principals about rural teaching, teachers, and students; compare profiles of teachers with those of principals to determine possible sources of conflict; learn schools' strengths and weaknesses; indicate some directions to help alleviate rural education problems; and seek teacher opinion regarding preservice and inservice programs, teacher satisfaction and adjustment, and school problems. Rural teachers surveyed tended to have rural backgrounds, had taught an average of 6 to 10 years, and were basically content to remain in their current schools. Their initial adjustment difficulties resulted from inadequate rural facilities. Teachers felt rural schools offered more individual attention, better discipline, and closer teacher-student relationships, but weaker curricula and school-community relations. Teachers and principals agreed as to the seriousness of some student problems (alcoholism, and lack of parental support, educational goals, and motivation), but differed as to the seriousness of student vandalism and drug use. Such polarization contributed to poor morale and lessened effectiveness on occasion. It was also concluded that preservice programs needed some changes, including greater emphasis on rural experiences, and that inservice programs were inadequate. (SB)