Current research suggests that retaining novice teachers, teachers with less than 5 years of teaching experience, in Title 1 elementary schools in the Southeastern United States is a problem for principals. Prior research on Title 1 elementary principal's perceptions of their role in retaining novice teachers is limited. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine six Title 1 elementary school principals' perceptions of their role in retaining novice teachers in the Southeastern United States. The conceptual framework for this study was the job demands-resources theory, which defined working conditions through job demands and job resources. Purposeful random sampling was used to recruit six Title 1 elementary school principals to participate in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to inductively analyze the data to identify themes related to principals' perceptions of their roles in retaining novice teachers. The results from the study indicated that providing support opportunities, creating a positive culture and climate, displaying empathy, and hiring are key roles for principals in retaining novice teachers. Although not found in previous literature, demonstrating empathy was determined to be a key aspect of a principal's role in retaining novice teachers. This study contributes to positive social change by identifying effective strategies to retain novice teachers and by identifying continued challenges that may lead to strategic principal professional learning and development to improve novice teacher retention. [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.]