Recent studies reported by the U.S. Department of Education reveal that over one million American students drop out of high school annually. While students have different reasons for dropping out of school, two leading factors include lack of interest and lack of educational support. When teachers are prepared to teach and do it using an engaging, meaningful and contextual method, the chances of retaining students, particularly those who are at-risk, has a greater chance of increasing. This article describes how a a key part of a teacher's preparedness relates to the tools available to assist in instructional delivery and analyzing results for individual and program improvement. The article highlights the benefits of using credentials as one tool for retaining at-risk students, using the example of Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) as one school system with a successful retention strategy. (Contains 1 table and 10 endnotes.)