Few issues in education threaten the nation as seriously as the present and growing shortage of teachers. Teacher attrition is high among teachers across the nation and is one of the most serious causes of teacher shortage (Ingersoll, 2004). As policy makers rush to address this problem, research is needed to examine the retention effects of policy decisions regarding various elements affecting teachers' decisions to remain in or leave the profession. In recent years, there has been growing popularity of alternative teacher certification, which is largely due to the serious teacher shortage across the country (Cochran-Smith et al., 2011). In 2004, 43 states, plus the District of Columbia, reported having some type of alternative route for certifying teachers, whereas only 8 states said they had alternative routes in 1983 when the National Center for Education Information began collecting such data. In states like California, New Jersey, and Texas, which have been pursuing alternative routes since the mid-1980s, 20% or more of new teachers enter the profession through alternative routes. Alternative route certification programs (ARC) have been specifically designed to recruit, prepare, and license talented individuals who already have at least a bachelor's degree. Candidates must pass a rigorous screening process. ARC programs are field based and include course work or equivalent experiences while teaching. Candidates of the program work closely with their mentors in preparation to meet the high performance standards required for completion of the program (Office of Innovation and Improvement, 2004). In the report of the Education Commission of the States, the commission raised the important question of whether there are alternative route programs that graduate high percentages of effective new teachers with average or higher than average rates of teacher retention (Allen, 2003). The report concluded that retention rates for alternative routes can be comparable to those of traditionally prepared teachers over the short term, but with regard to long-term retention, the research on this issue has to be regarded as inconclusive. This study aims to look at long-term retention effects of alternative route teacher preparation programs and traditional teacher preparation programs.