In today's ever-changing educational climate, educators are challenged now more than ever to be effective in the education of our young people. School districts across the United States face teacher shortages due to the unyielding demands of education. These demands can be a strain on the overall well-being of a teacher. In addition, workplace environment along with the added demands on teachers can create a mindset where teachers feel under-valued, less respected, and under-appreciated. These views can permeate throughout the school environment, creating a climate where teachers no longer want to work. Teachers may feel that they are unheard, or even over-worked. While others may feel that the principal's leadership practices are a detriment to the entire school site. These broad concepts might contribute to a teacher's breaking points, thereby contributing to retention issues, like moving to another school or quitting. In a school community, the school principal plays a direct role in how teachers may feel about their school site or their careers as whole. Principals who exhibit unethical behaviors, lack of empathy, or poor leadership and professionalism towards teachers, have a shared responsibility with the school district for encouraging retention at their schools. Aside from other factors that are beyond a principal's control, such as state mandates, or salaries, a principal's role in how teachers view them can affect the teacher's decision making about his/her careers. Principals who lead ineffectively and unethically may shape the perceptions in how teachers view them, and guide the decision-making process about their school site, or district. This purpose of this study was to address the issue of teacher retention through the views and perspectives of the teachers as they relate to the views on their school site leaders; discussing how school principals contribute to the over-all school climate, and how understanding the views and perspectives of teachers, can help school districts use the information in retention efforts, and leadership programs; helping to aide in attracting and retaining teachers in the education profession. While many district policies seem to be geared toward retaining and attracting teachers, there seems to be a need to review and understand those root factors that cause current teachers to leave the profession or move to a new school site in addition to new hires. The selected design for the study is a qualitative method approach. Audio interviews were conducted using five open-ended questions. The interview was comprised of semi-structured question items posed to measure teachers' perceptions of their school principals. Data was collected from 23 middle and high school teachers in the South Florida area. The guiding focus of the questions centered on the following constructs: Teachers' background and work experiences, principals' leadership styles; teachers purpose and belonging, including professional development opportunities; and personal decision making related to their career well-being. In obtaining the information, the goal of the study was to provide an unbiased atmosphere, which provided anonymity and the opportunity for the participants to speak freely and without fear of retribution. The findings of the interviews revealed common themes in how teachers viewed their principals. The study revealed that many teachers were happy overall, while others revealed what they perceived to be unprofessional experiences with their principals and other leadership practices that they deemed to be unethical, or unfair. The study shows that principals play a role in retaining teachers, as teachers views of their school leaders sometimes determines their career decisions. Continued examination of teachers' views of their school principals should be studied further in an effort to better understand the relationships, and the role principals play in teacher retention. School districts could gain insight from the study, to implement leadership trainings, and other initiatives that could lead to better retention rates at their schools. [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.]