Reductions in student performance and increased non-instructional costs have been found to be direct results of high teacher turnover. In one district in the southern United States, the teacher turnover rate was almost 3 times the state average, prompting administrators to adjust local policies and procedures. The purpose of this project study was to generate district policies addressing teacher turnover and effectiveness. Guided by the pragmatism framework, a mixed-methods approach was used to study the relationship between teachers with 10 or more years of service and their job satisfaction, and whether length of service and community ties impacted student performance. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to study job satisfaction and tenure, together with a qualitative, open-ended job tenure questionnaire, designed to complement the quantitative findings. Student performance was examined using archived data from the 2010 and 2011 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test. Seven teachers participated in this study. Spearman's correlation coefficient and t-tests were used to analyze the quantitative data. Work conditions at the school were found to be the only factors affecting length of service. No statistically significant relationships were found between teacher effectiveness and their tenure in local area schools and between job satisfaction and length of service. The findings led to the development and implementation of an action research format continuous improvement process. Improvements in school performance, teacher effectiveness and retention, leading to improved student performance are the expected local outcomes. The adoption of this process in other school districts facing similar problems could extend these outcomes to other student populations. [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.]