As the Nordic region grows increasingly diverse, the countries share a common challenge: how to support strong second‑language development among children and young people from migrant backgrounds. Language is more than just a technical skill; it is a key driver of belonging, participation, well‑being, and democracy.
This report explores how the educational systems in the Nordic countries support second‑language learning and discusses how existing measures can be improved to better promote inclusion and integration. It brings together key insights from a Nordic research review and from leading scholars who participated in the Nordic webinar The role of language for inclusion in October 2025.
This report shows that while the countries’ education policies share a common emphasis on multilingualism and inclusion, the practical implementation differs significantly across countries and regions. Although these differences make generalised conclusions difficult on what works best, they also create fertile ground for exchanging experiences and developing new solutions together. The scholars at the webinar emphasise that effective language learning depends not only on motivation and effort, but also on the opportunities and strategies provided by the education system.
A central feature of this report is the concluding chapter developed by the Nordic Network for Education for Newly Arrived Students. Representing ministries and national authorities across the region, the Network provides recommendations for improving language support, particularly enhancing holistic, language-aware school cultures, pedagogical leadership, and continued competence development for teachers. The network clearly demonstrates the unique value of Nordic collaboration in an area where shared challenges call for shared solutions. We would like to express our deep appreciation to its members, whose expertise and support have been essential to the development of this report.
We warmly thank research professor Sabine Wollscheid at the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education in Norway (NIFU) for the valuable and hard work on the Nordic research review. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the three scholars sharing their expertise and important insights: professor Nihad Bunar at Stockholm University, associate professor Maria Ahlholm at the University of Helsinki, and associate professor Renata Emilsson Pesková at the University of Iceland.