Following the economic crisis in 2008 the Icelandic government put their emphasis on restructuring the educational system to reflect the needs of modern society. The responding to changes in society was by shaping education policy and writing new national curriculum for preschools, compulsory schools and upper secondary schools in autumn 2011.

The Icelandic National Curriculum is based on six fundamental pillars. The pillars, along with an emphasis on competences, learning competences and metacognition, assessment for learning, and increased collaboration within the school community call for a rethinking of the content and arrangements of schooling.

In the spring of 2012 ten schools in the school district Akureyri (town of 18 000 population in north of Iceland) applied for support from the Centre of School Development at the University of Akureyri (msHA) to implement the new national curriculum. Following the application, an action plan was organized and the implementation process formally began in autumn 2012 in ten compulsory schools with supports from two consultants from msHA. The implementation process is expected to take two years and is built on a process inquiry model of curriculum. That is based on a common vision, reflection, diversity and continuous efforts of the school community to improve.

The consultants have evaluate the implementation process from the starts with an action research project. The study addresses the participation of consultants in the implementation process and their aim is to monitor how the process unfolds and to learn from it.

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