Teacher retention in rural Title I schools has declined drastically over the past several years. As more teachers leave the profession and turnover is climbs to astounding rates in these schools, the quality of education in the United States continues to decline. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perspectives of early career teachers to understand better what factors cause them to stay in the profession, with the hopes of adding these teachers' voices to the conversation on what can be done to increase teacher retention and decrease teacher turnover in rural Title I schools. A group of early career teachers from rural Title I schools were interviewed to understand their experiences better. The aim was to understand the factors that influence their decision to remain in or leave the teaching profession, as told in their own words from their unique perspectives. This study was guided by the Four-Capital model theoretical framework which looks at the following four capitals: (a) human capital, (b) social capital, (c) structural capital, and (d) positive psychological capital. This framework also guided the formation of the North Carolina Working Conditions Survey, which served as a baseline to build the interview protocol for this study. The findings included seven themes that participants identified as shaping their decisions to stay in education. The study had several implications for theory, research, and practice for early career teachers in rural Title I schools. It also filled the gap in the research by exploring the lived experiences and perspectives of early career teachers in rural Title I schools currently serving in these positions. [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.]