Teacher attrition is an ongoing issue in the United States and more specifically in the state of Missouri. This dissertation, using a qualitative approach, offers insights from teacher perceptions of school leadership and specific behaviors, skills, and leadership techniques that might bolster teacher retention. The research included interviews with fifteen different teachers from four different districts of the northwest region of a midwestern state. The interviews were semi-structured and contained a mix of Likert scale questions as well as open ended questions. Interviews were at least thirty minutes in length and were recorded and transcribed. The findings of this study expanded the work of previous researchers in school leadership and its impact on teacher retention. This study revealed that teachers perceive five themes to be invaluable to leaders as it pertains to teacher retention. These five themes are leadership flexibility, the ability to build strong relationships, displaying empathy and understanding, building, and sustaining a positive culture, and fostering accountability and trust among school leaders and staff members. For the teacher retention crisis to improve, more focus should be given to the five themes made relevant by this study. In addition, school leader preparation programs would find value in incorporating more coursework related to leadership flexibility, the ability to build strong relationships, displaying empathy and understanding, building and sustaining a positive culture, and fostering accountability and trust among school leaders and staff members. Furthermore, school leaders' focus to retain teachers should be centered around their approach to leadership and the skills necessary to foster positive relationships built between leaders and employees. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]