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How did the 1928 government report change U.S. policy toward boarding schools?

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A dancer in a bright pink shawl with fringe, wearing traditional regalia adorned with blue and black accents, performs at an outdoor cultural event. — Native American November is the traditional time of harvest, gathering, and celebration in Native communities.

The 1928 government report, known as the Meriam report, was a pivotal document that exposed the systemic failures of the American Indian boarding school system. By documenting that students were malnourished, overworked, poorly educated, and subjected to harsh discipline in overcrowded facilities, the report provided the evidence needed to challenge the effectiveness of forced assimilation policies.1

Following these findings, the U.S. government began to shift its approach in the 1930s by closing many boarding schools. This transition toward reform was further solidified by the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which sought to decrease federal control over Indigenous affairs and increase tribal self-government. For the schools that remained in operation, the government began to incorporate Native history and culture into the curriculum, marking a departure from the previous goal of total cultural erasure. These changes laid the groundwork for later efforts by Indigenous communities to gain control over their own educational systems, ultimately leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.12