This paper studied the effect of perceived teacher influence over school policy on first-year teacher attrition. Data came from the National Center for Education Statistics' Schools and Staffing Survey 1999 - 2000 and Teacher Follow-up Survey 2000 - 2001. First-year teacher status and teacher influence over school policy were related to teachers' odds of leaving the teaching profession in a weighted hierarchical generalized linear model. First-year teachers stand a higher risk of leaving the teaching profession than experienced teachers, and strong teacher influence over school policy can mitigate first-year teachers' propensity to leave the teaching profession. The implications of the results for teacher retention and teacher empowerment were discussed. Includes appendix: Variables and Survey Items Used in Analysis. (Contains 5 tables.)