Final answer:
The statement is false. Native American boarding schools were not designed to improve lives through culture and skills but to assimilate children into White society by erasing their indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that for Native Americans, boarding schools were a way to improve their lives by teaching useful skills and native culture is false. In the late nineteenth century, these schools were established by the United States government and Christian missionaries with the explicit goal of assimilating Native American children into White society and to strip them of their cultures and traditions. The boarding schools had strict rules against the practice of native languages and cultural practices, enforced English-only policies, and subjected students to military-like disciplines. They emphasized vocational and domestic training that ultimately prepared Native American children for low-paying jobs and were designed to erase indigenous cultures and languages. The abuse and mistreatment these children endured had long-term negative impacts on Native American communities and contributed to many of the problems they face today.