Each year, rural school districts and economically depressed areas struggle to attract and keep certified teachers. Resources, finance, and lack of local attractions are what cause teachers to leave rural areas. These difficulties have made some of the best instructors unsatisfied with their school district, which has led them to look for a school district in an urban location. One of the three states with the worst academic performance is Mississippi, where numerous schools receive accountability grades of F, and they lack highly qualified teachers. Many classes are also overcrowded because of teacher attrition. This study is intended to offer insight into both the reasons teachers choose to quit their schools as well as the reasons they choose to stay to leverage the action of retaining teachers in rural poverty-stricken areas. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted in this research study. Participants were asked questions centered around teacher turnover and qualities that lead to greater teacher retention and job satisfaction. Data was collected from fifteen participants in this study, and they all have at least three years of teaching experience and experience working in a school with a traditionally high teacher turnover rate. The findings from this study suggested that the advantages of a workplace environment should encourage connection and maintain a culture that values and nurtures its employees which will lead to a greater retention rate. [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.]