The article discusses the historical context of Sabbath instruction, issues of teaching and learning, learning content, and methods of assessing and monitoring student progress. It addresses the composition of correctional student populations, institutional restraints, and the life and death impact of education on confined learners. In developing an understanding of the issues that influenced the earliest correctional educators in the U.S., the author describes teacher initiatives, the use of community resources, and the experiences and professional identity of Sabbath school teachers. Nineteenth-Century correctional educators faced some of the same problems in teaching and learning that hinder current correctional education efforts, i.e., resource inadequacy, poor school facilities, professional development, and resistance to education. 20 references