Employee absence can arise in any organization or institution; however, in education, teacher absenteeism place burdens on schools and hinders the ability of schools to provide quality and consistent instruction to students. Teacher absenteeism has been a topic of discussion in the West Tennessee study school district for many years. School and district leaders have pondered over what can be done to improve the attendance behaviors of teachers. Research asserts that teachers are the most important in-school determinant of student success, and for this reason, school and district leaders in the West Tennessee study district must gain an understanding of teacher absenteeism from the perspective of teachers. School leaders must also understand how their leadership behaviors affect teacher absenteeism, and how teachers view their preparedness to handle the realities of teaching. The perceptions of elementary teachers, in schools with past elevated teacher absenteeism were examined in this study. The perspectives of these teachers were analyzed so that school leaders, who are the second most influential school-level factor on student achievement, could potentially develop effective plans for supporting teachers, not only instructionally, but socially and personally as well. The researcher examines teacher absenteeism through the lens of the Social Cognitive Theory. This theory is based on the idea that not only do humans learn from their interactions with others in a social context, but after observing the behaviors of others, people tend to develop similar behaviors. Findings from the study identified possible supports perceived by teachers to positively influence teacher absence behavior. The study also identified leadership behaviors teacher perceive to have a negative influence on teacher attendance behavior. This study concludes with recommendations teachers perceive could foster a stronger presence of teachers in schools and implications for practice for school leaders. [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.]