When English Language Arts (ELA) students are not engaged in ELA coursework, they miss out on opportunities to practice reading, writing, speaking, listening, and--most importantly--critical thinking. The purpose of these two cycles of Action Research was to investigate the authentic pedagogies of ELA teachers at Ryken private preparatory school in Massachusetts, with a view to enhancing student engagement. The first cycle of this Action Research study focused on the teachers of Ryken's ELA department. Participants consisted of the English Language Arts (ELA) faculty members from whom data was collected through interviews. Using inductive coding, three themes were identified that informed the Action Step. The purpose of Cycle 2 was to co-create, with a twelfth-grade World Literature class, a unit of study designed to utilize authentic pedagogy to enhance student engagement. Data was collected through a survey, eight focus groups with students, and a member-checking interview with an ELA faculty member. The success of the Action Step was assessed using a priori coding against predetermined success criteria and is demonstrated using the data from participants. The findings of this study include suggestions for faculty to: model authenticity; forge enduring relationships; create physical and curricular spaces for all learners; incorporate humanistic pedagogies; and design assessments that are reflective of connect. Recommendations for teachers at Ryken suggest building spaces with and for students that encourage them to take risks with their learning, fail, and revisit ideas in a recursive and iterative spiral that centers the authenticity of teaching and learning. Only in this way will students truly be engaged. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]