A broadly based historical survey, this book examines Native American boarding schools in the United States from Puritan times to the present day.

Hundreds of thousands of Native Americans are estimated to have attended Native American boarding schools during the course of over a century. Today, many of the off-reservation Native American boarding schools have closed, and those that remain are in danger of losing critical federal funding. Ironically, some Native Americans want to preserve them.

This book provides a much-needed historical survey of Native American boarding schools that examines all of these educational institutions across the United States and presents a balanced view of many personal boarding school experiences—both positive and negative. Author Mary A. Stout, an expert in American Indian subjects, places Native American boarding schools in context with other American historical and educational movements, discussing not only individual facilities but also the specific outcomes of this educational paradigm.