This study examines the effects of task arrangements and management systems on student engagement rates. It is argued that the complexity of classroom arrangements influences the form and content of management systems, and that management decisions impact levels of student engagement. Intensive observation of 63 third and fourth grade students receiving bilingual education instruction under a federal Title VII grant and their teachers from nine California mathematics classrooms over a six-month period are the data source. The results provided partial confirmation of the hypothesized relationships. In low-complexity classrooms, engagement was related to one aspect of management, the offering of instructional explanations. In high-complexity situations engagement was positively associated with the management strategy of developing lateral relations. The paper concludes with implications for research concerning the contribution of organizational theory to classroom studies and for practice concerning the question of how strategies for management of classrooms can be adjusted to best suit the materials being presented. (JN)