Education is an essential component of sustainable development. However, for the Arctic there is a history of education systems that tried to force central school models on local people, including different degrees of suppression of local language. This has been improved today to various degrees in the Arctic states. However, lack of skilled teachers with local roots is a circumpolar challenge. Arctic higher educational institutions also face many challenges when attempting to be innovative and competitive due to their small size and geographic isolation. The model of the University of the Arctic allows for a dynamic development of shared education systems through mutual cooperation. This network can be a very efficient tool to for delivering a relevant curriculum for a changing North.