Nationally, teacher absenteeism has become problematic, in part, as a result of collective bargaining agreements between teachers' unions and school boards. Additionally, teacher absenteeism is increasingly problematic because the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires schools to meet yearly academic targets in reading and mathematics. The School District of Philadelphia is not exempt from the problem of teacher absenteeism. Over a decade ago, the district was involved in restructuring in order to improve student achievement. Although multiple efforts are being made to improve student achievement, the teacher attendance policy has not been revised since 2001. As a school principal for the past nine years, this researcher has developed an interest in teacher absenteeism and the ways some teachers misuse and abuse the attendance policy. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of teacher absenteeism through the experiences and perceptions of middle school principals in urban school setting. The sample included principals of the 10 middle schools in the Philadelphia School District that were classified as underperforming schools and failed to make adequate yearly progress during the 2009-2010 school year, based on the results from the Pennsylvania School System Assessment (PSSA). Participants were asked to complete a survey. Five participants were then selected to participate in a one-on-one interview with the researcher. The principals indicated teacher absenteeism has a significant negative effect on schools with regard to their instructional programs, student achievement, school culture, school climate, and day-to-day operations. The results further suggest in some of the schools, teacher absenteeism is chronic and an absentee culture exists. Based on these findings, a revision of district attendance policies would appear to be in order. The principals studied strongly believed the process of revising the policies should be a collaborative effort of the various stakeholders, including principals. Suggestions for further research include repeating the study with a broader sampling of schools, assessing principals' perceptions of teacher absenteeism relative to other factors that can impact student achievement, and assessing students' perceptions of the impact of teacher absenteeism on their learning. [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://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]