High-stakes testing in New York City (NYC) schools has produced a culture of high-stakes teaching. The latter concept emphasizes both the importance of good teachers to the performance of urban students and the threat to keeping good teachers in NYC schools due to measures such as scripted lessons and mandated curriculum. This essay draws upon interviews with beginning NYC teachers in English and social studies, raising questions about whether such measures will exacerbate the already low rates of teacher retention in urban schools.