A three-year pilot project focusing on sustainable school leadership in rural and remote Arctic and Nordic regions. The project is carried out in collaboration with the NordLead research network and brings together researchers and school leaders across six countries.
About the project
CANDLES promotes educational leadership in rural and remote Arctic and Nordic communities by identifying good leadership practices, fostering cross-border collaboration, and developing sustainable leadership guidelines tailored to these regions' unique opportunities and challenges.
Researchers and school leaders from Denmark, Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden co-develop leadership practices that enhance educational resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability and communicate the results to local, national and cross-national stakeholders, including policymakers.
The aim
The main aim is to explore and enhance school leadership in rural and remote Arctic and Nordic communities across Denmark, Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden:
Project goals
- Strengthen local impact by engaging school leadership in action research.
- Identify good educational leadership practices and challenges and opportunities thereabout.
- Develop practical guidelines for sustainable leadership in the Arctic-Nordic contexts.
- Shift the focus of educational leadership to the Arctic and Nordic regions.
- Build a community of practice by developing a cross-border network of researchers and school leaders.
- Disseminate research for policy and practice.
- Lay the groundwork for future research and scaling.
Project Design - Three Interlinked Phases
Phase 1 (2025–2026): Building the Framework
The first phase focuses on developing a shared action research framework and strengthening Nordic–Arctic collaboration through online and on campus workshops. An important part of this phase is to surface, articulate and bring visibility to the specific conditions of education and educational leadership in rural and remote Arctic and Nordic contexts.
Phase 2 (2026–2027): Action Research
In the second phase, researchers and school leaders in each participating country engage in collaborative action research. Together, they co design and test leadership development initiatives, collect data and share learning across national contexts within the Nordic–Arctic network.
Phase 3 (2027–2028): Synthesis and Knowledge Mobilisation
The final phase synthesises findings across countries to produce evidence based guidelines and policy recommendations for sustainable educational leadership in rural and remote Nordic–Arctic regions.
Significance of the Project
CANDLES strengthens the social and economic resilience and competence of Arctic and Nordic communities by focusing on sustainable educational leadership and both local and cross-border collaboration. Creating a network of school leaders and researchers to co-develop leadership strategies and share with wider stakeholders ensures that local challenges inform national education policy and leadership training.
By integrating Indigenous knowledge and local traditions, the project promotes inclusive leadership and equitable education access, empowering school leaders to support community resilience, social inclusion, and cultural continuity. This contributes to the aim of making the Nordic region the best place in the world for children and youth.
Background
The project commits to the UNs sustainable development goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education to strengthen school leaders’ capacity to ensure that education is inclusive, equitable and of high quality. This focus is critical in the Arctic and Nordic contexts, where geographical isolation, cultural diversity and environmental challenges create unique conditions affecting educational delivery and effectiveness.
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