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ENGAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND SCHOOL CULTURE

Katie Smith

ED227S Inquiry Paper

Engagement, Management, and School Culture

April 29, 2019

Dr. Susan Adams

Butler University

Abstract
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ENGAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND SCHOOL CULTURE
While observing the classrooms and administrative management within Shortridge High

School, there were several key moments that made the core of the school system noticeable to an

outsider looking in. The three main perspectives, seen through the lens of a visitor, were engage-

ment, management, and school culture. These three views show how this school thrives inter-

nally and externally and through countless observations, those three key components are ex-

tremely apparent.

Classroom and hallway management are the most visible perspectives one may see while

visiting Shortridge simply because those are the two physical impacts any person visiting or at-

tending can decipher from the more internal perspectives like culture and engagement. Culture

and engagement derive from the support and internal management the students receive from

their peers, teachers, staff, and administrators. These two can define the overall experience from

the eyes of the students and is not entirely visible from the public eye unless observed closely or

seen throughout countless, in-depth, visitations.

Introduction
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ENGAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND SCHOOL CULTURE
Shortridge High School is an IB (International Baccalaureate) school that prides itself for

having a diverse student body that “reflects the diversity of Indianapolis. As an inner-city school

we are confronted with the images of poverty, homelessness, racism, and conflict. To help eradi-

cate these social ills, our students are taught to lead remarkable, compassionate, and socially sig-

nificant lives (O’Day, Shortridge Handbook).” This remark about diversity and inclusion repre-

sents the core values that Shortridge lives by, creating an environment within Indianapolis Public

Schools where impoverished and inner-city children may thrive academically.

In terms of engagement, management, and school culture, Shortridge uses their diversity

to implement programs that encourage engagement and growth within their community such as

Model UN, Social Justice League, Student in Action (SIA), and GSA, promoting inclusivity and

school-wide engagement within not just racial groups, but also the LGBTQIA+ community as

well as special education and ESL students. In terms of management, each club, activity, and

classroom is managed through student involvement and feedback as well as staff and administra-

tion guidance. There are also several resources on their official website where parents and family

members are able to get involved within the school community through the PTO (Parent-Teacher

Organization) and through volunteering. Likewise, school culture derives from the positive and

negative experiences all generations create within the school system, through both internal and

external resources. School culture is developed over time and Shortridge’s culture thrives on

their diverse population.

Literature Review
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ENGAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND SCHOOL CULTURE
When observing each of the three main topics, the article How to Keep Kids Engaged in

Class by Tristan de Frondeville describes the importance of keeping students engaged as well as

the effects engagement has on students academically.

“Eliminating dead time starts with creating an arsenal of routines and activities.

They can be general-purpose activities that apply to various subject areas or styles of

teaching, or specific content-oriented activities that allow your students to learn by tap-

ping into multiple intelligences beyond the usual listening and recalling.

Some are physical activities that help kids unleash pent-up energy, while others create

private thinking time that encourages reflection. Or they can be well-managed student-to-

student communication to guarantee that they are all thinking about the work. Developing

these activities initially takes time, but the payoff -- in terms of classroom management

and overall learning -- is more than worth the effort. By building a storehouse of activi-

ties to draw on, I'm rarely at a loss to implement one of them to get kids back on track

(Frondeville).”

This passage describes the importance of activities and UBD or backwards mapping by

centering your focus on what the students should receive after the lesson is complete and build-

ing around that idea so there is a lack of “dead time” in the lesson. Typically lulls in classroom

discussions are shaped from the internal engagement within each student as well as the teacher.

When the educator allows the space for “dead time”, as referred to in the article, this does not al-

low the students to absorb what they are learning, leading to the lack of attention being given

back to the educator. This circle continues unless the brains of the students are finally stimulated

from activities or management of the students’ focus. The article Teen Engagement in Learning

Starts with Respect by Julie Baron refers to the previous ideas but expands on them, including

discussing the internal and external conflicts a student may be going through in their lives that
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may affect their attention in a classroom setting. She states, “When adolescents describe the

ways in which they experience respect, they report that they want to feel challenged by being

pushed beyond their comfort zone. They want adults to hold the bar high for them. They feel re-

spected when adults listen and respond to them without judgment, and accept their beliefs and

values, however different from their own. And when adults are responsive to their intellectual,

physical, social, and emotional needs, adolescents feel this as genuine concern for their welfare,

which in turn makes them feel valued (Baron).” This ties into both the topic of engagement as

well as the topic of management because she refers to the idea that a teacher must be aware of

their students and should be aware of signs within the classroom that may show problems arous-

ing in their everyday lives.

Teachers should not just meet the academic needs of their students, but they also should

manage their classroom in such a way that meets their social, emotional, and physical needs as

well. This is described in the article, Preventing Problems, Promoting Development, Encourag-

ing Engagement, where the authors studied classrooms with good management techniques and

noticed that the students/classrooms with the best management and engagement were successful

because they created lessons and encourage students to be active in their community and to learn

actively rather than auditorily. This idea ties into the third topic, school culture, as well because

school culture is created through the activities and the social needs the students meet.

However, a common occurrence throughout school systems is the need to make students

feel as if they are lesser than their educator. This idea is present in the article Adolescent trust in

teachers: Implications for behavior in the high school classroom when it is exclaimed:

“Teachers were once thought of as moral authorities who upheld cultural stand-

ards and societal norms (Durkheim, 1956). In the past 25 years, however, blanket as-

sumptions that students perceive all teachers as legitimate authority figures have been
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ENGAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND SCHOOL CULTURE
challenged (Arum, 2003; Hurn, 1985; Pace & Hemmings, 2007). Hurn (1985) writes,

‘Schools attempt to convince students, though not always successfully, that the rules and

controls to which they are subjected and the often tedious or onerous assignments that

they are given represent the legitimate exercise of their authority rather than the arbitrary

use of power’ (p. 36). Sociologists have long asserted that authority is negotiated in social

relationships and within the context of legitimacy (Weber, 1947). Legitimate authority

figures are seen as having the right to exercise their power and authority; they are also

more likely to elicit cooperation from subordinates (Gregory).”

There’s a need in school systems to “keep students in line” by creating a superiority complex for

themselves when in reality, to understand school culture and the needs/management of said cul-

ture, educators should refer back to the developmental theories as a reference. For instance, the

article Child Developmental Theories and Examples gives summaries of each major develop-

mental theory to give a deeper insight as to how students may be functioning due to their social

environment cognitively. A few example of this include Skinner who believed in behavior being

observable and that rewards should be given for stimulus, Erikson who believed in the stages of

a psychosocial developmental theory, and even Freud who believed that completing each devel-

opmental stage made the prospect one step close towards a healthy adult personality. Rather than

creating a toxic social dictatorship, administrations should consider studying theory to under-

stand the needs they need to meet in every school culture.

Context of Inquiry

Connecting the research and observations together, many of the things the students of ED

227 observed while visiting Shortridge for several weeks allowed for data regarding engagement,
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management, and school culture. There are many examples of positive and negative observations

seen throughout the visits at Shortridge.

First, for engagement, a negative example seen through the visitations is the constant use

of cell phone in classrooms. Many of the students during classes would be on their phones con-

sistently and even when they were instructed to put their devices away, they would not follow

through. Instead, many of the students would do the opposite and put their headphones in to can-

cel out the instructions they were being given. How did the teachers react to this? They reacted

by ignoring the situation and not following up or following through with any particular punish-

ments or repercussions. This is an example of negative engagement because the students are be-

ing distracted by modern-day technologies rather than being stimulated in the classrooms like a

positive engagement setting would be utilizing.

Second, for management, the most positive example was while observing a class contain-

ing ELLs. The teacher, Teacher A, was very adamant about maintaining a regulated classroom

and making sure the needs of the classroom were being met thoroughly. Teacher A implemented

a system where they created goals for each student, especially the ELLs, and looked for outside

resources for them as needed, such as tutors and further assistance. Creating goals and meeting

the internal and academic needs of the students is crucial when it comes to managing the class-

room because, simply put, the happier the student, the more successful they will become. A neg-

ative example was apparent while observing an art class by a different teacher, Teacher B.

Teacher B had a variety of ethnicities in their classroom and on the day when the incident in

questioned occurred, the students were practicing painting with Teacher B’s guidance. When the

class was nearing its end, Teacher B instructed their students to rinse out their paint brushes thor-

oughly. Then, Teacher B exclaimed, “To test if pigment is still on your brush, test it on the back
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of your hand. If you think you’re too dark, grab a whitey and use their hand.” This quote was

shocking to hear since Teacher B was exploiting their classroom diversity in a very unprofes-

sional way. As an educator, you should always see your classroom as equal. While you should

encourage diversity in a positive manner, using diversity as a negative joke and using derogatory

terms like “whitey” to talk about caucasians -- let alone pointing out dark skin so blatantly -- sin-

gles out your students in a very negative way and adds to the everyday racism that the world

wants to eradicate.

Also, another example that should be discussed happened while visiting an English class-

room. The teacher, Teacher C, was attempting to teach their lesson on their overhead projector

when, suddenly, one student decided to talk out out of turn and curse the teacher. This continues

for the entire period, saying things such as, “I would rather kill myself than be in this class right

now.” This is an incredibly concerning scenario because the educator should have reprimanded

this student or at the very least paid close attention to see if there were external or internal factors

within the student’s life that may be creating this outburst. However, this must not be an uncom-

mon occurrence because Teacher C simply ignored the student and continued on with their class

as if nothing was happening beside them. This seemed odd because a lot of what this student was

suggesting were serious claims, so Teacher C should have cared for this student individually to

prevent any serious harm in the future.

Finally, when discussing school culture, the positives that were observed centered around

the school’s pride when it comes to diversity. Shortridge is exceptionally proud of how diverse

its students are and has created countless clubs and sports dedicated to showcasing their diversity

and talents along with it. For example, one observation was in an AP World History course that

competes in Model UN. While observing, the teacher, Teacher D, gave handouts of all the topics
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ENGAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND SCHOOL CULTURE
and the agenda for an upcoming Model UN conference where every student was to choose one of

the common topics on the handout and create a presentation of the topic. This topic presentation

would then help the class study all together for the Model UN conference. This method utilized

the strengths and the diversity of not just races and ethnicities, but the diversity of learners as

well. By creating a topic presentation to study for their conference, Teacher D is benefitting

every learner because it requires them to study on a certain topic thoroughly and share their

knowledge with the class so all of their needs are being met while promoting the use of their di-

verse talents.

An example of negative school culture was observed during a passing period, however.

While walking from one observation to another, a student (Student A) saw one of their friends in

the hallway. That friend (Student B) was wearing headphones and was not aware that Student A

was approaching. Student A ran up to Student B and snatched their headphones away. Student B

was alarmed at this and before realizing it was their friend, Student B began to swing at Student

A, starting a fight in the middle of the hallway. This fight was not broken up by teachers and ad-

ministrators until a couple minutes into it. Many of the teachers in the hallway watched it happen

for a while before doing anything about it. This could've been handled with better care than it

was because most school systems have a system in place to prevent fights from breaking out be-

fore they begin. For instance, even though they did have teachers and administrators in the hall-

way watching the students, they did not break up the fight until it was almost too late. Most

schools make it clear that when a staff member begins to see something arise in the hallways,

they must stop and check immediately to prevent any sort of fight or bodily injury. This not only

ensures the safety of the school but also creates a safer school culture and starts to eliminate the

need for physical violence. Many schools that have violence erupt more frequently can attribute
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it to mismanagement and the creation of a hostile school culture that thrives on physical confron-

tation to solve issues rather than solving them through verbal communication.

Method

Analyzing the information includes classifying the theories connected to the observa-

tions. When referring back to the three main topics, the most influential ways to implement en-

gagement would be through the use of UBD to utilize the use of activities and goal oriented

learning to alleviate any kind of moments of hesitation. This will allow for more stimulation

within the classroom as well as eliminating the need for outside distractions such as technology

use in the classroom. For management, in order to meet the needs of the variety of students one
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may have, schools should be utilizing Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory to under-

stand how each age is developing cognitively. How a student is developing cognitively also cor-

relates with their environmental factors, so how they are responding to internal and external fac-

tors can determine how a teacher may need to manage them and meet their needs. For school cul-

ture, look towards B.F. Skinner’s theories regarding observing behaviors to contain a positive

environment. By observing the school climate and noticing when behaviors may seem negative,

check on those students and observe if the impact made was positive. Creating a positive and

contained environment will create a more positive school culture.

Findings and Implications

After research and observations, the implications regarding each of the three main topics

tie in with each of the articles presented. Theory is what teachers can use to create a more engag-

ing, manageable, and positive school culture and as researched, this can be achieved by meeting

every need students may have. Teen Engagement in Learning Starts with Respect describes this

by stating:
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“We know that adolescents are acutely aware of when adults are treating them with re-

spect and when they aren't. We also know that engagement leads to successful academic out-

comes and a greater sense of well-being for both the student and educator. If teens are more

likely to engage with adults who respect them, it's safe to say that respect is essential to student

learning. When adolescents describe the ways in which they experience respect, they report that

they want to feel challenged by being pushed beyond their comfort zone. They want adults to

hold the bar high for them. They feel respected when adults listen and respond to them without

judgment, and accept their beliefs and values, however different from their own. And when

adults are responsive to their intellectual, physical, social, and emotional needs, adolescents feel

this as genuine concern for their welfare, which in turn makes them feel valued (Baron).”

In order to create a better school environment for each student, educators must make their

students a priority and meet the needs of each student rather than creating that toxic dictatorship

that most students see. By making staff seem superior, students will feel disrespected and will

not respond kindly and efficiently towards this, just like in Shortridge when Teacher C was deal-

ing with their student’s outbursts in class. Perhaps this was not the first instance; however,

Teacher C could have prevented these outbursts from happening by caring for that student's emo-

tional and physical needs rather than solely academic.

By focusing on respecting your students every need, this creates a safe environment

where students feel as if they can “leave their problems at the door” and can engage in academia

without caution. Many students who feel as if their needs are not being met create hostile envi-

ronments for themselves and others, such as Teacher C’s student and the fight between Student

A and Student B. Each of these scenarios could have been prevented of their needs had been met

by the school. Educators must be cautious when they are in the classroom. By being aware of
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what their students are going through on a daily basis and by creating safe environments men-

tally, emotionally, and physically, this begins to spread and create a positive school culture that

engages students and is more easily manageable.

Conclusion

Shortridge is a highly diverse school that focuses on the academic needs of its students by

creating various clubs and organizations to ensure its diversity is being managed positively.

However helpful that may be, an area where Shortridge can grow is by meeting the individual

needs of its students to ensure a positive environment for everyone attending. While focusing on

external diversity is exceptional, it is also important to remember that every human being is di-

verse internally as well. Every human is meant to be different in their own way and that goes
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deeper than just ethnicity or monetary environment. Meeting every individual need can be chal-

lenging, but by doing so, Shortridge can become a more successful and positive environment for

both its students and its staff.

Works Cited

Baron, J. (2015, October 26). Teen Engagement in Learning Starts With Respect. Retrieved

from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teen-engagement-starts-with-respect-julie-baron

Cherry, K. (2019, January 19). Child Development Theories and Examples.

Gregory, A. (2010, January). Adolescent trust in teachers: Implications for behavior in the

high school classroom.

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ENGAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND SCHOOL CULTURE
How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/class-

room-student-participation-tips

Miller, A. (2016, September 13). Tools for Student Self-Management. Retrieved from

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/tools-for-student-self-management-andrew-miller

O'Day, S. M. (n.d.). Shortridge High School[2018-2019 Handbook].

Pittman, K., Irby, M., Tolman, J., Yohalem, N., & Ferber, T. (2003, March). Preventing

Problems, Promoting Development, Encouraging Engagement.