Teacher retention has been a longstanding issue across the United States for decades. The State of Tennessee has chosen to monitor the retention of the newest teachers who complete preparation programs in their state by including retention statistics on the State Report Card. TPU, a private Christian university which offers aspiring teachers options of bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and job-embedded programs, historically outperforms the state average for the first two years of teaching, but drops below the state average in year three. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher retention through the lens of certain characteristics: Title status of the school where the teacher is employed, teachers' age, race, and gender, and by preparation program the teacher completed. Researchers also sought to determine if there was a difference in teachers' self-perceptions of preparedness, self-efficacy, and coping strategies by preparation program and if these levels had the ability to predict retention. Data for this mixed-method study were collected through a questionnaire and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The researchers found no statistically significant associations in their testing, though more teachers employed in Title I schools did leave their positions than those employed in schools without a Title I designation. Participants ranked themselves highly for preparedness, self-efficacy, and coping strategies across preparation programs. Participants also had many positive experiences in their preparation at TPU and spoke of its impact on their decision to continue teaching. Suggestions were also made by participants and researchers as to how to strengthen these programs. [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.]