Elementary, middle school, and high school principals have a powerful impact on the schools in their charge. These lead administrators mold the atmosphere of a school and, in turn, the feelings of the teachers who work in it. The current teacher shortage combined with the demands of standards-based education has made retaining new teachers a critical issue (Darling-Hammond 1997; 2000). Thus, first-year teachers require special support to ensure that they become highly qualified veteran teachers, rather than casualties of teacher attrition (Moir and Gless 2001). The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount of support first-year teachers perceived they received from their principals was significant compared to the total amount of support they believed they received. Moreover, a qualitative analysis of the participants' comments was conducted. The insights gleaned from these comments may prove beneficial to principals in their efforts to support their first-year teachers. All first-year teachers in a school district serving almost sixty thousand students were asked to participate in this study. Some of these teachers teach in schools with high-achieving, high socioeconomic populations, while others teach in schools comprised of at-risk populations. The district encompasses fifty-nine elementary schools, one special education school, eleven middle schools, and thirteen high schools. English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers were also included in the study. More than half (59 percent) of the first-year teachers participating in this study were assigned a mentor, while the remainder was not. It was concluded that the relationship between principal support and total support of first year teachers serves as a powerful reminder to principals of their critical role in this area. Principals must lead by example in providing direct support to beginning teachers and encouraging their staffs to do the same. Furthermore, they must develop adequate and appropriate induction activities. While principals have many other important responsibilities, the current teacher shortage makes the principal's role in the induction of new teachers arguably their most important because it may help retain new teachers.