The challenge of teacher retention is something that all school and district leaders face. The demand for highly qualified teachers outnumbers the current teacher candidate pool. Because of this, the need for schools and districts to attract and retain the best teachers has never been greater. While there is substantial research focusing on the reasons why teachers leave the field of education, the purpose of this study to is analyze and explore the characteristics that impact effective teacher's decisions to stay in the classroom. By identifying these characteristics, schools and districts would be able to implement or further develop these pieces in their own school and district to retain their effective teachers. Based on the lived experiences of nine teachers from Northwest Indiana who self-identified as being rated as effective teachers, the following themes were identified: (1) Leadership, and the characteristics leaders possess matters to effective teachers. (2) Money is important, but it's not everything to effective teachers. (3) New teachers need support in order to make them successful in the classroom. (4) Teachers are professionals and they should be treated that way. (5) Teachers should always be part of the conversation. (6) Effective teachers teach for the students. [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.]