research executive summary

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An executive summary is a thorough overview of a research report or other type of document that synthesizes key points for its readers, saving them time and preparing them to understand the study's overall content. It is a separate, stand-alone document of sufficient detail and clarity to ensure that the reader can completely understand the contents of the main research study. An executive summary can be anywhere from 1-10 pages long depending on the length of the report, or it can be the summary of more than one document [e.g., papers submitted for a group project].

Bailey, Edward, P. The Plain English Approach to Business Writing . (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 73-80 Todorovic, Zelimir William and Marietta Wolczacka Frye. “Writing Effective Executive Summaries: An Interdisciplinary Examination.” In United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Conference Proceedings . (Decatur, IL: United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2009): pp. 662-691.

Importance of a Good Executive Summary

Although an executive summary is similar to an abstract in that they both summarize the contents of a research study, there are several key differences. With research abstracts, the author's recommendations are rarely included, or if they are, they are implicit rather than explicit. Recommendations are generally not stated in academic abstracts because scholars operate in a discursive environment, where debates, discussions, and dialogs are meant to precede the implementation of any new research findings. The conceptual nature of much academic writing also means that recommendations arising from the findings are distributed widely and not easily or usefully encapsulated. Executive summaries are used mainly when a research study has been developed for an organizational partner, funding entity, or other external group that participated in the research . In such cases, the research report and executive summary are often written for policy makers outside of academe, while abstracts are written for the academic community. Professors, therefore, assign the writing of executive summaries so students can practice synthesizing and writing about the contents of comprehensive research studies for external stakeholder groups.

When preparing to write, keep in mind that:

• An executive summary is not an abstract.
• An executive summary is not an introduction.
• An executive summary is not a preface.
• An executive summary is not a random collection of highlights.

Christensen, Jay. Executive Summaries Complete The Report. California State University Northridge; Clayton, John. "Writing an Executive Summary that Means Business." Harvard Management Communication Letter (July 2003): 2-4; Keller, Chuck. "Stay Healthy with a Winning Executive Summary." Technical Communication 41 (1994): 511-517; Murphy, Herta A., Herbert W. Hildebrandt, and Jane P. Thomas. Effective Business Communications . New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997; Vassallo, Philip. "Executive Summaries: Where Less Really is More." ETC.: A Review of General Semantics 60 (Spring 2003): 83-90 .

Structure and Writing Style

Writing an Executive Summary

Read the Entire Document This may go without saying, but it is critically important that you read the entire research study thoroughly from start to finish before you begin to write the executive summary. Take notes as you go along, highlighting important statements of fact, key findings, and recommended courses of action. This will better prepare you for how to organize and summarize the study. Remember this is not a brief abstract of 300 words or less but, essentially, a mini-paper of your paper, with a focus on recommendations.

Isolate the Major Points Within the Original Document Choose which parts of the document are the most important to those who will read it. These points must be included within the executive summary in order to provide a thorough and complete explanation of what the document is trying to convey.

Separate the Main Sections Closely examine each section of the original document and discern the main differences in each. After you have a firm understanding about what each section offers in respect to the other sections, write a few sentences for each section describing the main ideas. Although the format may vary, the main sections of an executive summary likely will include the following:

• An opening statement, with brief background information,
• The purpose of research study,
• Method of data gathering and analysis,
• Overview of findings, and,
• A description of each recommendation, accompanied by a justification. Note that the recommendations are sometimes quoted verbatim from the research study.

Combine the Information Use the information gathered to combine them into an executive summary that is no longer than 10% of the original document. Be concise! The purpose is to provide a brief explanation of the entire document with a focus on the recommendations that have emerged from your research. How you word this will likely differ depending on your audience and what they care about most. If necessary, selectively incorporate bullet points for emphasis and brevity. Re-read your Executive Summary After you've completed your executive summary, let it sit for a while before coming back to re-read it. Check to make sure that the summary will make sense as a separate document from the full research study. By taking some time before re-reading it, you allow yourself to see the summary with fresh, unbiased eyes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Length of the Executive Summary As a general rule, the correct length of an executive summary is that it meets the criteria of no more pages than 10% of the number of pages in the original document, with an upper limit of no more than ten pages [i.e., ten pages for a 100 page document]. This requirement keeps the document short enough to be read by your audience, but long enough to allow it to be a complete, stand-alone synopsis. Cutting and Pasting With the exception of specific recommendations made in the study, do not simply cut and paste whole sections of the original document into the executive summary. You should paraphrase information from the longer document. Avoid taking up space with excessive subtitles and lists, unless they are absolutely necessary for the reader to have a complete understanding of the original document. Consider the Audience Although unlikely to be required by your professor, there is the possibility that more than one executive summary will have to be written for a given document [e.g., one for policy-makers, one for private industry, one for philanthropists]. This may only necessitate the rewriting of the introduction and conclusion, but it could require rewriting the entire summary in order to fit the needs of the reader. If necessary, be sure to consider the types of audiences who may benefit from your study and make adjustments accordingly. Clarity in Writing One of the biggest mistakes you can make is related to the clarity of your executive summary. Always note that your audience [or audiences] are likely seeing your research study for the first time. The best way to avoid a disorganized or cluttered executive summary is to write it after the study is completed. Always follow the same strategies for proofreading that you would for any research paper. Use Strong and Positive Language Don’t weaken your executive summary with passive, imprecise language. The executive summary is a stand-alone document intended to convince the reader to make a decision concerning whether to implement the recommendations you make. Once convinced, it is assumed that the full document will provide the details needed to implement the recommendations. Although you should resist the temptation to pad your summary with pleas or biased statements, do pay particular attention to ensuring that a sense of urgency is created in the implications, recommendations, and conclusions presented in the executive summary. Be sure to target readers who are likely to implement the recommendations.

Bailey, Edward, P. The Plain English Approach to Business Writing . (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 73-80; Christensen, Jay. Executive Summaries Complete The Report. California State University Northridge; Executive Summaries. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Clayton, John. "Writing an Executive Summary That Means Business." Harvard Management Communication Letter , 2003; Executive Summary. University Writing Center. Texas A&M University;  Green, Duncan. Writing an Executive Summary.   Oxfam’s Research Guidelines series ; Guidelines for Writing an Executive Summary. Astia.org; Markowitz, Eric. How to Write an Executive Summary. Inc. Magazine, September, 15, 2010; Kawaski, Guy. The Art of the Executive Summary. "How to Change the World" blog; Keller, Chuck. "Stay Healthy with a Winning Executive Summary." Technical Communication 41 (1994): 511-517; The Report Abstract and Executive Summary. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Executive Summaries. Effective Writing Center. University of Maryland; Kolin, Philip. Successful Writing at Work . 10th edition. (Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2013), p. 435-437; Moral, Mary. "Writing Recommendations and Executive Summaries." Keeping Good Companies 64 (June 2012): 274-278; Todorovic, Zelimir William and Marietta Wolczacka Frye. “Writing Effective Executive Summaries: An Interdisciplinary Examination.” In United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Conference Proceedings . (Decatur, IL: United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2009): pp. 662-691.

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Research executive summary: examples and best practices.

Home » Research Executive Summary: Examples and Best Practices

Executive summary tips are crucial for crafting impactful research reports. These concise overviews serve as the gateway to your findings, capturing the essence of your work in a digestible format. Mastering the art of executive summaries can significantly enhance the reach and influence of your research.

In today's fast-paced world, decision-makers often rely on these summaries to quickly grasp key insights. By honing your skills in creating compelling executive summaries, you can effectively communicate complex ideas and ensure your research resonates with its intended audience. This guide will explore best practices and examples to help you elevate your executive summary writing skills.

Importance of a Well-Crafted Executive Summary

A well-crafted executive summary serves as the gateway to your research findings, offering a concise yet comprehensive overview of your work. This crucial component distills complex information into a digestible format, allowing busy decision-makers to grasp key points quickly. An effective summary highlights the most significant aspects of your research, including objectives, methodologies, and critical outcomes.

To create an impactful executive summary, focus on clarity and brevity. Start by clearly stating the purpose of your research and its relevance to the target audience. Then, outline your main findings and their implications, emphasizing how they address the initial research questions. Conclude with actionable recommendations based on your insights, providing a clear path forward for stakeholders. Remember, a well-written executive summary can make the difference between your research being acted upon or overlooked, so invest time in refining this essential element of your report.

Executive Summary Tips: Key Benefits for Stakeholders

Executive summaries serve as powerful tools for stakeholders, offering concise insights into complex research findings. By distilling key information, these summaries enable decision-makers to grasp essential points quickly and efficiently. One primary benefit is time-saving, allowing busy executives to absorb critical data without sifting through lengthy reports.

Moreover, well-crafted executive summaries facilitate better decision-making by highlighting actionable insights. They provide a clear overview of research objectives, methodologies, and outcomes, empowering stakeholders to make informed choices. Additionally, these summaries foster improved communication among team members, ensuring everyone is aligned on crucial findings and recommendations. By presenting a snapshot of the research, executive summaries help stakeholders prioritize resources and focus on areas that require immediate attention, ultimately driving more effective strategic planning and implementation.

Enhancing Decision-Making with Concise Summaries

Crafting an effective executive summary is crucial for decision-makers who need quick access to key information. A well-structured summary distills complex research into actionable insights, saving time and facilitating informed choices. To create impactful summaries, focus on clarity, conciseness, and relevance.

Start by identifying the main objectives and findings of your research. Highlight critical data points and recommendations, ensuring they align with the intended audience's needs. Use clear, jargon-free language to explain complex concepts, and organize information logically. Include visual aids like charts or graphs to enhance understanding. Remember, the goal is to provide a comprehensive overview that enables swift decision-making without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary details.

Crafting an Effective Research Executive Summary

Crafting an effective research executive summary requires a blend of concision and clarity. This crucial document distills complex findings into digestible insights for decision-makers. To create a compelling summary, start by identifying the key objectives and methodologies of your research. Then, highlight the most significant results and their implications for the business or project at hand.

Best practices for executive summaries include using clear, jargon-free language and organizing information in a logical flow. Consider incorporating visual elements like charts or graphs to illustrate key points quickly. Remember to tailor the content to your audience's needs and knowledge level. By following these executive summary tips, you'll ensure your research findings make a lasting impact and drive informed decision-making within your organization.

Research Executive Summary Tips: Essential Elements

Creating an effective executive summary for research reports is crucial for conveying key findings and recommendations succinctly. To craft a compelling summary, focus on distilling the most important information into a concise format. Begin by clearly stating the research objectives and methodology used. Then, highlight the main findings, emphasizing their significance and implications for the client's business.

Include actionable insights and recommendations, ensuring they are specific and aligned with the client's goals. Use visuals sparingly but effectively to illustrate key points or trends. Keep the language clear and jargon-free, making it accessible to all stakeholders. Remember to tailor the content to your audience, addressing their primary concerns and interests. By following these executive summary tips, you'll create a powerful tool that captures the essence of your research and drives decision-making.

Structuring Your Summary for Maximum Impact

Crafting an effective executive summary requires a strategic approach to structure and content. By following a template-style format, you can ensure your summary covers all essential topics while remaining concise and readable. Start by identifying the key themes from your research or interview guide, such as market trends, customer pain points, or product recommendations.

Next, organize these themes into distinct sections within your summary. For each section, provide a brief overview of the main findings, supported by relevant data or quotes. Use bullet points or short paragraphs to enhance readability. Remember to tailor the content to your audience, focusing on the information most relevant to their needs and decision-making processes. By structuring your executive summary in this way, you'll create a powerful tool that quickly conveys the most critical insights from your research.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

When crafting an executive summary, it's crucial to avoid common pitfalls that can diminish its effectiveness. One frequent mistake is information overload, where authors include too much detail, obscuring the main points. To prevent this, focus on distilling the most critical information and presenting it concisely.

Another pitfall is failing to tailor the summary to the intended audience. Different stakeholders may require different levels of detail or emphasis on specific aspects. To address this, research your audience beforehand and customize the content accordingly. Additionally, avoid using jargon or technical terms without explanation, as this can alienate readers unfamiliar with industry-specific language. Instead, opt for clear, accessible language that conveys your message effectively. By steering clear of these common mistakes and following best practices, you can create an executive summary that captures attention and delivers key insights efficiently.

Executive Summary Tips: Frequent Mistakes to Watch Out For

When crafting an executive summary, it's crucial to avoid common pitfalls that can undermine its effectiveness. One frequent mistake is information overload, where authors include too much detail, obscuring the main points. Remember, brevity is key – aim to distill complex information into concise, impactful statements.

Another error to watch out for is neglecting to tailor the summary to your audience. Different stakeholders have varying interests and levels of expertise, so customize your content accordingly. Additionally, many summaries fall short by failing to provide clear, actionable recommendations. Your executive summary should not only present findings but also offer strategic insights and next steps. By steering clear of these mistakes, you'll create a more compelling and useful executive summary that resonates with your readers.

Best Practices for Clear and Persuasive Summaries

Creating a clear and persuasive executive summary is crucial for effectively communicating research findings. To craft an impactful summary, start by distilling the main points of your research into concise, easy-to-understand statements. Focus on highlighting key insights, methodologies, and outcomes that are most relevant to your audience.

When writing your executive summary, use straightforward language and avoid jargon. Structure your content logically, presenting information in a flow that guides readers through your research journey. Include visual elements like charts or graphs to illustrate complex data points quickly. Remember to tailor your summary to your specific audience, emphasizing aspects that align with their interests and needs. By following these best practices, you'll create an executive summary that captures attention and conveys your research's value effectively.

Conclusion: Mastering Executive Summary Tips for Research

Mastering executive summary tips is crucial for researchers aiming to convey their findings effectively. As we've explored various strategies and best practices, it's clear that a well-crafted executive summary can significantly impact the reception of your research. By distilling complex information into concise, actionable insights, you empower decision-makers and stakeholders to grasp the essence of your work quickly.

Remember, the key to a compelling executive summary lies in its clarity, brevity, and relevance. Focus on highlighting the most critical aspects of your research, including methodology, key findings, and recommendations. As you refine your skills in creating these summaries, you'll find that they not only enhance the accessibility of your research but also increase its potential for real-world application and impact.

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The First Impression: Executive Summary In A Research Paper

Having trouble writing the executive summary for your research paper? Learn how to write it in a research paper with our step-by-step guide.

Do you think a scholar has the time to read all the content of your research paper? They will have infinite papers to check, so they definitely won’t read it thoroughly, so how do they know if it is worth reading or not? Now, you must’ve seen short summaries in front of every research paper; ever wondered what that is? 

Well, that is your first impression of the article and as the saying goes, “first impression is always the best impression”, it is important to make sure that the summary is catchy and perfect to grab the scholar’s attention. 

Those types of summaries are known as Executive Summaries and in this article, we are going to learn in-depth about the executive summary in a research paper, along with tips and guidelines for writing them.

What Is An Executive Summary In A Research Paper?

In a research paper, the executive summary serves as a condensed version of the entire paper. It provides a snapshot of the key elements and findings of the research, allowing readers to quickly grasp the purpose, methodology, and main outcomes without having to read the entire document.

Why Do We Compose An Executive Summary?

We compose an executive summary for several important reasons:

1. Decision-Making Support

Executives, stakeholders, or decision-makers rely on executive summaries to make informed decisions. By presenting key information clearly and concisely, an executive summary helps decision-makers understand the essence of the document and evaluate its significance and potential impact.

2. Accessible To A Wide Audience

Executive summaries are shared with diverse audiences, including those without specialized knowledge. By distilling complex information, executive summaries make the content more accessible to a broader range of readers.

3. Overview Of Research Or Project

An executive summary offers a high-level overview of the research or project, outlining objectives, methodology, and main findings. It provides a snapshot of the work, allowing readers to quickly assess its relevance and determine if they need to explore the full document. Also Read: How to Write a Summary of an Article

The Executive Summary Length And Placement

The length and placement of an executive summary can vary depending on specific requirements and guidelines. However, there are some general considerations to keep in mind:

• Length : Executive summaries are typically kept relatively short, ranging from a few paragraphs to a couple of pages. They aim to provide a concise overview of the main points and findings of the document.
• Placement : In most cases, the executive summary is placed at the beginning of the document, before the main body or introduction . This allows readers to quickly access the key information without having to go through the entire document. However, in some cases, it may be placed at the end, serving as a summary or recap of the main points for those who have already read the document.

It’s important to note that the length and placement of the executive summary can be influenced by specific guidelines or requirements set by the organization or publication. 

Structure Of An Executive Summary For A Research Paper

The structure of an executive summary for a research paper can vary slightly depending on the specific requirements and nature of the research. However, a commonly used structure includes the following key elements:

Introduction

Provide a brief introduction that sets the context for the research. Clearly state the purpose, objectives, and significance of the study.

Research Methodology

Summarize the research methodology used in the study. Briefly explain the data collection methods, sample size, research design , and any statistical analyses employed. This helps establish the credibility and reliability of the research.

Key Findings

Present the most significant findings of the research. Summarize the main results, trends, or patterns that emerged from the data analysis. Focus on the key outcomes that directly address the research objectives.

Conclude the executive summary by summarizing the main points and emphasizing the overall significance of the research. Restate the main findings and their implications in a concise manner. Also read our content about Thesis Conclusion: Making Your Research Paper Outstanding .

Executive Summary For A Research Paper Formatting

When formatting an executive summary for a research paper, it’s important to follow the specific guidelines provided by the target journal or publication. General formatting considerations to keep in mind:

• Title : Include a clear and descriptive title for the executive summary at the top of the page. It should reflect the content and focus of the research paper.
• Length : The length of the executive summary can vary, but it is typically recommended to be concise, ranging from a few paragraphs to a maximum of one or two pages. Adhere to any specified word count or page limit guidelines.
• Formatting Style: Follow the formatting style required by the target journal or publication. This may include font type, font size, line spacing, and margins. Typically, a professional and readable font such as Times New Roman or Arial with a standard font size of 12 points is used.
• Structure and Subheadings: Use clear and informative subheadings to structure the content of the executive summary. This helps guide the reader through the main sections, such as Introduction, Methodology, Key Findings, Implications, Recommendations, and Conclusion .
• Concise Writing: Write in a concise and focused manner, using clear and simple language. Avoid unnecessary technical jargon or complex explanations. Use bullet points or numbered lists to present key findings or recommendations, making them easy to read and comprehend.
• Proofreading and Editing: Before finalizing the executive summary, carefully proofread and edit the content for clarity, coherence, and grammatical correctness. Ensure that the summary is free from errors and presents a professional image.

The Executive Summary Mistakes To Avoid

When crafting an executive summary, it’s important to be mindful of certain mistakes that can diminish its effectiveness. Here are common mistakes to avoid:

Lack Of Clarity

Ensure that the executive summary is clear and concise. Avoid using jargon, complex language, or technical terms that may confuse readers. Aim for straightforward and accessible language that can be understood by a diverse audience.

Excessive Length

Remember that an executive summary is meant to be a condensed version of the main document. Avoid making it too long or including unnecessary details. Keep it concise and focused on the most important information.

Lack of Context

Provide sufficient context to help readers understand the research and its significance. Avoid jumping straight into the findings without setting the stage. Briefly explain the background, objectives, and methodology to provide a clear context for the research.

Inconsistent Tone

Maintain a consistent and professional tone throughout the executive summary. Avoid using overly casual language or an inconsistent writing style that may undermine the credibility of the research.

Missing Contact Information

Include relevant contact information, such as names, email addresses, or phone numbers, so that readers can reach out for further inquiries or discussions. This ensures that interested parties can easily connect with the authors.

Executive Summary Writing Tips And Recommendations

When writing an executive summary, consider the following tips and recommendations to ensure its effectiveness:

• Start Strong : Begin the executive summary with a compelling introduction that grabs the reader’s attention. Clearly state the purpose, importance , and relevance of the research to engage the audience from the start.
• Be Succinct: Keep the executive summary concise and to the point. Focus on the most critical information and avoid unnecessary tangents or excessive details. Use clear and concise language to convey the key points effectively.
• Structure with Headings: Organize the executive summary with headings and subheadings to create a logical flow of information. This helps readers navigate the content and locate specific sections quickly.
• Maintain Consistency: Ensure that the executive summary aligns with the main document in terms of key points, language, and style. Avoid introducing new information or contradictory statements that may confuse the reader.
• Use Visuals Sparingly: Incorporate visuals such as charts, graphs, or diagrams if they significantly enhance the understanding of the research. Ensure they are clear, well-labeled, and easy to interpret.
• Seek Feedback: Consider sharing the executive summary with colleagues, mentors, or experts in the field for feedback and suggestions. Incorporate their insights to improve the clarity and effectiveness of the summary.

In conclusion, the executive summary plays a crucial role in research papers by providing a condensed yet comprehensive overview of the study’s main points and findings. It serves as a valuable tool for busy readers, decision-makers, and stakeholders who require a concise understanding of the research without delving into the full document.

Also Read: How to Write an Abstract for a Research Paper (Example and Tips)

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About Sowjanya Pedada

Sowjanya is a passionate writer and an avid reader. She holds MBA in Agribusiness Management and now is working as a content writer. She loves to play with words and hopes to make a difference in the world through her writings. Apart from writing, she is interested in reading fiction novels and doing craftwork. She also loves to travel and explore different cuisines and spend time with her family and friends.

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How To Write A High-Impact Executive Summary

By Derek Jansen | January 2018

In this post, I’ll deconstruct the often-misunderstood executive summary and show you how to develop a high-impact executive summary for your assignment, research report or even your dissertation or thesis.

So, what is an executive summary?

An executive summary (sometimes called an abstract ) is quite simply a summary of summaries. In other words, an executive summary provides a concise summary of each of your assignment or report chapters/sections . More specifically, it should communicate the key points/insights/findings/suggestions from the following chapters:

• Introduction
• Recommendations
• Implementation (if applicable)
• Reflection (if applicable)

I’ll discuss which key points from each section need to be addressed a bit later. On a separate note – if you’re writing an executive summary for a dissertation or thesis, all of the concepts described in this post will still apply to you, however, you’ll include an additional paragraph about your methodology, and you’ll likely spend more word count discussing your analysis findings.

The 4 Important Attributes Of An Exec Summary

Before I discuss what goes into the executive summary, let’s quickly look at 4 attributes that make for a strong executive summary:

#1 – It should be able to stand alone.

The executive summary should be able to stand independently as an informative document . In other words, the reader should be able to grasp your broad argument without having to read the full document. Further reading should be purely for attaining more detail. Simply put, the executive summary should be a “Mini-Me” of the assignment.

This independence means that anything you write in the executive summary will need to be re-stated in the body of your assignment. A common mistake that students make is to introduce key points in the executive summary and then not discuss them again in the document – accordingly, the marker must view the main document as missing these key points. Simply put – make sure you discuss key points in both the executive summary and the main body . It will feel repetitive at times – this is normal.

#2 – It should be written for the intelligent layman.

When crafting your executive summary, its useful to keep the intelligent layman front of mind. What I mean by this is that you should write your summary assuming that your reader (i.e. the marker) will be intelligent but won’t be familiar with your topic and/or industry. This means that you should explain any technical concepts, avoid jargon and explain acronyms before using them.

#3 – It should be concise.

Typically, your executive summary should be a one-pager (one and a half pages at worst). To summarise a 3000 – 5000-word document into one page is no easy task, so you’ll need to:

• Present only the most important information (key insights, recommendations, etc).
• Write concisely – i.e. with brevity and completeness.

To the first point, I’ll explain what the “most important” information is for each chapter shortly. To the second point (writing concisely), there are various ways to do this, including:

• Using simple, straightforward language.
• Using the active voice.
• Removing bloaty adverbs and adjectives.
• Reducing prepositional phrases.
• Avoiding noun strings.

Does this sound like gibberish to you? Don’t worry! The Writing Center at the University of Wisconson-Madison provides a practical guide to writing more concisely, which you can download here.

On a related note, you typically would not include headings, citations or bulleted/numbered lists in your executive summary. These visual components tend to use a lot of space, which comes at a premium, as you know.

#4 – It should be written last.

Given that your executive summary is a summary of summaries, it needs to be written last , only once you’ve identified all your key insights, recommendations and so on. This probably sounds obvious, but many students start writing the summary first (potentially because of its position in the document) and then end up re-writing it multiple times, or they don’t rewrite it and consequently end up with an executive summary which is misaligned with the main document.

Simply put, you should leave this section until everything else is completed. Once your core body content is completed, you should read through the entire document again and create a bullet-point list of all the key points . From this list, you should then craft your executive summary . The approach will also help you identify gaps, contradictions and misalignments in your main document.

So, what goes into an executive summary?

Right, let’s get into the meat of it and consider what exactly should go into your executive summary. As I’ve mentioned, you need to present only the absolutely key point points from each of your chapters, but what does this mean exactly?

Each chapter will typically take the form of 1 paragraph (with no headings) in your executive summary. So, 5 chapters means 5 paragraphs. Naturally, some will be longer than others (let this be informed by the mark allocation), but assuming one page contains 500 words, you’re aiming for roughly 100 words per paragraph (assuming a 5-paragraph structure). See why conciseness is key!

Now, let’s look at what the key points are for each chapter in the case of a typical MBA assignment or report. In the case of a dissertation or thesis, the paragraph structure would still mimic the chapter structure – you’d just have more chapters, and therefore, more paragraphs.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

This paragraph should cover the following points:

• A very brief explanation of the business (what does it do, for whom and where?).
• Clear identification and explanation of the problem or opportunity that will be the focus of the assignment/report.
• A clear statement of the purpose of the assignment (i.e. what research questions will you seek to answer?).
• Brief mention of what data sources were utilised (i.e. secondary research) and any fieldwork undertaken (i.e. primary research ).

In other words, your first paragraph should introduce the business, the problem/opportunity to be addressed, why it’s important, and how you approached your analysis. This paragraph should make it clear to the reader what the assignment is all about at a broad level. Here’s a practical example:

This assignment focuses on ABC Ltd, a XXX business based in XXX, which provides XXX to XXX customers. To date, the firm has relied almost exclusively on XXX marketing channel. Consequently, ABC Ltd has little understanding of consumer segments, wants, and needs. This marketing channel is now under regulatory threat due to XXX.  The core challenge, therefore, is that whilst ABC Ltd seeks to grow its market share, it has little understanding of its market characteristics or competitive set, and its sole marketing channel under regulatory threat. Accordingly, the objective of this assignment is XXX. The assignment draws on survey, interview, and industry data.

Paragraph 2: Analysis and findings

In this paragraph, you should discuss the following:

• What exactly did you analyse? For example, you might have analysed the macro context (i.e. PESTLE analysis), followed by the meso (i.e. competitor or industry analysis) and then the micro (i.e. internal organisational analysis).
• What were your key findings in relation to the purpose of the assignment? For example, you may have identified 4 potential causes of a problem and would then state them.

In other words, your second paragraph should concisely explain what you analysed and what your main findings were . An example of this:

Segmentation analysis, consisting of macro, industry and firm-level analyses, revealed a strong segmentation variable in the form of XXX, with distinct needs in each segment. Macro analysis revealed XXX, while industry and firm-level analyses suggested XXX. Subsequently, three potential target segments were established, namely XXX, XXX and XXX.  These were then evaluated using the Directional Policy Matrix, and the results indicated XXX.

From a presentation perspective, you might structure this section as:

• Analysis 1, findings from analysis 1.
• Analysis 2, findings from analysis 2.
• Analysis 3, findings from analysis 3.

Importantly, you should only discuss the findings that are directly linked to the research questions (i.e. the purpose of the assignment) – don’t digress into interesting but less relevant findings. Given that the analysis chapter typically counts for a large proportion of marks, you could viably write 2-3 paragraphs for this. Be guided by the mark allocation.

Lastly, you should ensure that the findings you present here align well with the recommendations you’ll make in the next paragraph. Think about what your recommendations are, and, if necessary, reverse engineer this paragraph to create a strong link and logical flow from analysis to recommendations.

Paragraph 3: Recommendations

With the key findings from your analysis presented in the preceding paragraph, you should now discuss the following:

• What are your key recommendations?
• How do these solve the problems you found in your analysis?
• Were there any further conclusions?

Simply put, this paragraph (or two) should present the main recommendations and justify their use (i.e. explain how they resolve the key issue). As mentioned before, it’s critically important that your recommendations tightly align with (and resolve) the key issues that you identified in the analysis. An example:

Based on the Directional Policy Matrix analysis, it is recommended that the firm target XXX segment, because of XXX. On this basis, a positioning of XXX is proposed, as this aligns with the segment’s key needs. Furthermore, a provisional high-level marketing mix is proposed. The key aspects of the marketing mix include XXX, XXX and XXX, as these align with the firm’s positioning of XXX. By adopting these recommendations, the key issue of XXX will be resolved.

Also, note that (typically) the tone changes from past to present tense when you get to the recommendations section.

Paragraph 4: Implementation

If your assignment brief requires an implementation/project plan-type section, this paragraph will typically include the following points:

• Time requirements (how long will it take?)
• People requirements (what skills are needed and where do you find them?)
• Money requirements (what budget is required?)
• How will the project or change be managed? (i.e. project management plan)
• What risks exist and how will these be managed?

Depending on what level of detail is required by your assignment brief, you may need to present more, less or other details in this section. As always, be guided by the assignment brief.

A practical example:

A high-level implementation plan is proposed, including a stakeholder analysis, project plan and business case. Resource requirements are presented, detailing XXX, XXX and XXX requirements. A risk analysis is presented, revealing key risks including XXX, XXX and XXX. Risk management solutions are proposed, including XXX and XXX.  

Paragraph 5: Reflection

As with the implementation chapter, the need for a reflection chapter/section will vary between assignments and universities. If your assignment has this requirement, it’s typically good to cover the following points:

• What were your key learnings? What were your ah-ha moments?
• What has changed in the real world as a consequence of these learnings? I.e. how has your actual behaviour and approach to “X” changed, if any?
• What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of this change, if any?

This section is very personal, and so each person’s reflections will be different. Don’t take the above points as gospel.

Time to test it out.

Once you’ve written up your executive summary and feel confident that it’s in good shape, it’s time to test it out on an unsuspecting intelligent layman. This is a critically important step, since you, as the writer, are simply too close to the work to judge whether it all makes sense to a first-time reader. In fact, you are the least suitable person on the planet!

So, find someone who is not familiar with your assignment topic (and ideally, not familiar with your industry), and ask them to have a read through your executive summary. Friends and family will usually tell you its great, regardless of the quality, so you need to test them on their understanding. Do this by asking them to give the details back to you in their own words. Poke and prod – can they tell you what the key issues and recommendations were (in their own words!). You’ll quickly spot the gaps this way, and be able to flesh out any weak areas.

  Wrapping up.

In this post, I’ve discussed how to write the all too often undercooked executive summary. I’ve discussed some important attributes of a strong executive summary, as well as the contents that typically go into it. To recap on the key points:

The key attributes of a high-impact executive summary:

• It should be able to stand alone.
• It should be written for the intelligent layman.
• It should be concise.
• It should be written last.

The key contents of a high-impact executive summary:

Each paragraph should cover a chapter from the document. For example, In the case of a typical assignment, it would be something like:

• Summary of the introduction chapter.
• Summary of the analysis chapter.
• Summary of the recommendations and/or conclusions chapter.
• Depending – summary of the implementation and reflection.

Lastly, don’t forget to test out your executive summary on an unsuspecting layman or two. This is probably the most important step of them all!

If you have any questions or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch here or leave a comment below.

Thanks so much for your methodical process and explanation of Executive Summary. It is exactly what I was researching for.

Regards Saane

It’s a pleasure!

This was really helpful with how to structure my assignment.

Thank you so much for the step by step process. It’s so helpful for beginners like me.

Great! This post is very informative and gives clear guidance on to write an executive summary. Thanks very much for sharing this information, it’s very helpful.

Thanks for the feedback, Anna. Best of luck with your writing 🙂

Thank you for the great article, really helped explain what was needed.

Great insight and tips . Thanks

Thank you so much for sharing this. It was exactly what I was looking for.

Thank you for your help

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Organizing Academic Research Papers: Executive Summary

• Purpose of Guide
• Design Flaws to Avoid
• Glossary of Research Terms
• Narrowing a Topic Idea
• Broadening a Topic Idea
• Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
• Academic Writing Style
• Choosing a Title
• Making an Outline
• Paragraph Development
• Executive Summary
• Background Information
• The Research Problem/Question
• Theoretical Framework
• Citation Tracking
• Content Alert Services
• Evaluating Sources
• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Tertiary Sources
• What Is Scholarly vs. Popular?
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods
• Using Non-Textual Elements
• Limitations of the Study
• Common Grammar Mistakes
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Footnotes or Endnotes?
• Further Readings
• Annotated Bibliography
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• How to Manage Group Projects
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Essays
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Acknowledgements

An executive summary is an overview of a research report or other type of document that summarizes key points for its readers, saving them time and preparing them for the upcoming content. It must be a separate, stand-alone document, with sufficient content to ensure that the reader can completely understand the contents of the longer research study. An executive summary can be anywhere from 1-10 pages long, depending on the research report's length and may summarize more than one document [e.g., papers submitted for a group project].

Importance of a Good Executive Summary

Although an executive summary is similar to an abstract in that they both summarize the contents of a research study, there are several key differences. With research abstracts, the author's recommendations are rarely included, or if they are, they are implicit rather than explicit. Recommendations are generally not stated in academic abstracts because scholars operate in a discursive environment, where debates, discussions and dialogue are meant to precede the implementation of any new research findings. The conceptual nature of much academic writing also means that recommendations arising from the findings are widespread and not easily or usefully encapsulated. Executive summaries are used mainly when a research study has been developed for an organizational partner, funding entity, or other external group that participated in the research . In such cases, the research report and executive summary are often written for policy makers outside of academe, while abstracts are written for the academic community. Professors, therefore, assign the writing of executive summaries so students can practice writing about and summarizing comprehensive research studies for external stakeholder groups.

When preparing to write, keep in mind that:

• An executive summary is not an abstract.
• An executive summary is not an introduction.
• An executive summary is not a preface.
• An executive summary is not a random collection of highlights.

Christensen, Jay. Executive Summaries Complete The Report. California State University Northridge.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  Writing an Executive Summary

Read the Entire Document This may go without saying, but it is critically important that you read your entire research study thoroughly from start to finish before beginning to write the executive summary. This will better prepare you for how to organize and summarize the key points of your study. Remember this is not a brief abstract of 300 words or less but, essentially, a mini-paper of your paper, with a focus on recommendations.

Isolate the Major Points Within the Original Document Choose which parts of the document are the most important to those who will read it. These points must be included within the executive summary in order to provide a thorough and complete explanation of what the document is trying to convey.

Separate the Main Sections Closely examine each section of the original document and discern the main differences in each. After you have a firm understanding about what each section offers in respect to the other sections, write a few sentences for each section describing the main ideas. Although the format may vary, the main sections of an executive summary likely will include the following:

• the opening statement, brief background information,
• the purpose of research study,
• the method of data gathering and analysis,
• an overview of findings, and,
• a description of each recommendation, accompanied by a justification. Note that the recommendations are sometimes quoted verbatim from the research study.

Combine the Information Use the information gathered to combine them into an executive summary that is no longer than 10% of the original document. Be concise! The purpose is to provide a brief explanation of the entire document with a focus on the recommendations that have emerged from your research. How you word this will likely differ depending on your audience and what they care most about. If necessary, selectively incorporate bullet points for emphasis and brevity. Re-read the Executive Summary After you've completed your executive summary, let it sit for a while before coming back to re-read it. Check to make sure that the summary will make sense as a separate document from the full research study. By taking some time before re-reading it, you allow yourself to see the summary with unbiased eyes.

II.  Common Mistakes to Avoid

Length of the Executive Summary As a general rule, the correct length of an executive summary is that it meets the criteria of no more pages than 10% of the number of pages in the original document, with an upper limit of ten pages. This requirement keeps the document short enough to be read by your audience, but long enough to allow it to be a complete, stand-alone document. Cutting and Pasting With the exception of specific recommendations made in the study, do not simply cut and paste whole sections of the original document into the executive summary. You should paraphrase information from the longer document. Avoid taking up space with excessive subtitles and lists, unless they are absolutely necessary for the reader to have a complete understanding of the original document. Consider the Audience Although unlikely to be required by your professor, there is the possibility that more than one executive summary will have to be written for a given document [e.g., one for policy-makers, one for private industry]. This may only necessitate the rewriting of the conclusion, but it may require rewriting the entire summary in order to fit the needs of the reader. If necessary, be sure to consider the types of audiences who may benefit from your study and make adjustments accordingly. Clarity in Writing One of the biggest mistakes you can make is related to the clarity of your executive summary. Always note that your audience [or audiences] are likely seeing your research study for the first time. The best way to avoid a disorganized or cluttered executive summary is to write it after the study is completed. Always follow the same strategies for proofreading that you would for any research paper. Use Strong and Positive Language Don’t weaken your executive summary with passive, imprecise language. The executive summary is a stand-alone document intended to convince the reader to make a decision concerning whether to implement the recommendations you make. Once convinced, it is assumed that the full document will provide the details needed to implement the recommendations. Although you should resist the tempation to pad your summary with pleas or biased statements, do pay particular attention to ensuring that a sense of urgency is created in the implications, recommendations, and conclusions presented in the executive summary. Be sure to target readers who are likely to implement the recommendations.

Christensen, Jay. Executive Summaries Complete The Report. California State University Northridge; Executive Summaries . Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Executive Summary. University Writing Center. Texas A&M University; Guidelines for Writing an Executive Summary. Astia.org; Markowitz, Eric. How to Write an Executive Summary . Inc. Magazine, September, 15, 2010; Kawaski, Guy. The Art of the Executive Summary. "How to Change the World" blog; The Report Abstract and Executive Summary . The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Executive Summaries. Effective Writing Center. University of Maryland.

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Home » Blog » How to Write an Effective Executive Summary for a Research Paper

How to Write an Effective Executive Summary for a Research Paper

Table of Contents

How to Write an Effective Executive Summary

Executive summary is a term commonly used in business planning, however, in this article, we will look at how to write an effective executive summary for a research paper.

The executive summary is an initial summary of the research. A kind of appetizer that illustrates what the reader will find from there, if asked to continue reading the document. We’ll explain everything about the topic in this article.

What is an executive summary?

An executive summary is a small document or section of a research report or larger proposal. It is used to give the reader a quick overview of the larger body of material that follows. In other words, it summarizes a report, so executives don’t have to read the entire report to understand its purpose.

It contains a brief statement that addresses the problem or proposal detailed in the attached documents and provides background information, a concise analysis, and a conclusion. An executive summary is designed to help executives decide whether or not to take the proposal forward, making it extremely important.

What goes into an executive summary?

When writing an executive summary, there are guidelines to ensure you hit all the bases. According to the many books that have been written on executive summaries, as well as training courses, seminars, and professional speakers, the agreed length should be about 5 to 10 percent of the length of the entire report.

Appropriate language

The language used must be appropriate for the target audience. One of the most important things you should know before writing professionally is to understand who you are addressing. If you are writing for a group of engineers, the language you will use will be very different from how you would write for a group of funders. This includes more than just the words, but the content and depth of the explanation.

That said, regardless of the purpose of your executive summary, you should avoid being wordy. Keep your paragraphs short and concise. A block of text, no matter how elegant or engaging, can be daunting. Remember it’s a summary and people will read it to extract the main items quickly and easily.

Energetic introduction

You also want to capture the reader’s attention right away in the opening paragraph. Just as a speech usually starts with a joke to break the tension and leave people at ease to hear better what’s to come, a strong introductory paragraph can draw the reader in and make them want to keep reading. That doesn’t mean you start with a joke. Jokes are hard. Focus on your strengths but remember that most readers only provide a few sentences to win them over before moving on.

Don’t forget to explain who you are as an organization and why you have the skills, people, and experience to resolve the issue raised in the proposal. This doesn’t have to be a long biography, usually just your name, address and contact information will do, although you’ll also want to highlight your strengths when it comes to the proposal.

It may seem redundant, but start the summary with a very short, dotted list of what follows, like an index. Then, as you detail these points in the executive summary, be sure to write about the documents in the same order they appear.

Relevant information

The executive summary should not deviate from the material that follows. It’s a summary, not a place to bring in new ideas. Doing so would be confusing and undermine your entire proposal.

Establish the need or problem and convince the target audience that it must be resolved. Once configured, it is important to recommend the solution and show what the value is. Be clear and firm in your recommendation.

Justify your cause. Make sure you look at the top reasons why your organization is a perfect fit for the solution you are proposing. This is where you differentiate yourself from your competitors, whether it’s methodology, testimonials from satisfied customers, or anything else you offer that is unique. But don’t give yourself too much importance. Make sure you keep the potential customer’s name first.

Don’t overlook a strong conclusion, where you can wrap up and highlight the main points once again.

How to write an executive summary?

The general rule is that executive summaries should be as short as possible. Your target audience has limited time and attention and wants to get the details of your business plan as quickly as possible.

Try to keep your executive summary to 2 pages, if possible, although it may take longer if necessary. You can even write on one page using a lean plan format. You can learn more about this one-page business plan format and download a template here.

A description of your project or research proposal and the problem you intend to solve

Include a brief description of the research idea you carried out and why it’s needed. Your research paper doesn’t need to address a larger social problem, but it must address a lacuna or provide solution to an existing challenge.

A description of your target audience

Your target audience is who you think your research work will benefit. Sometimes, the name of the research paper itself defines the audience, such as “A Case Study of Traditional Institutions in Ogun State” or “Industrial Development of Lagos State”. Otherwise, just a brief description of the target audience – your main target audience or the people you think will spend money on your solution.

Competition

Assuming your research work has competition or opposing views, briefly describe how your research work stands out. Are you competing on theories or something else? Briefly describe what sets your research work apart here.

This is especially important for research proposal or grants. Funding institutions want to know who is behind the research idea and why you and your team are the right people to carry out the research. It can also be valuable to highlight your team’s gaps and how you plan to fill them. If you have potential partners or candidates in mind, mention them briefly and expand their qualifications in your full proposal.

Financing needs

If you are using your research plan to raise funds for your research work, your executive summary should highlight how much money you are looking for. Funding institutions want to know this in advance and don’t need to look for a grant to find these details.

Tips for Writing an Effective Executive Summary

No matter because you’re writing your executive summary, there are some general rules that make it easier and ultimately more effective. Here are some points to remember as you start:

1. Think of an executive summary as an argument

Think of an executive summary as something like an elevator pitch, but with restrictions. A good summary sells the rest of the plan, but it can’t just be a hard sell – it needs to summarize the plan. Readers expect it to cover, at a minimum, their commercial, product, market, and financial highlights.

Of course, you will highlight what will most interest the reader to achieve the immediate business objective of this plan. But your readers expect the main points covered. It’s a summary, not just an argument.

2. Write last

Don’t start writing your research paper with your summary. Although the executive summary is at the beginning of a completed research paper, many researchers choose to write the executive summary after writing everything else.

Ideally, the executive summary is short – usually just a page or two, five on the outside – and highlights points you’ve highlighted elsewhere in your research paper; so, if you save it for last, it will be quick and easy.

3. Keep your executive summary short

Be brief and concise. Some experts recommend a single page, or two, no more than five, and sometimes even more. We say less is more. Keep it as short as possible without missing the point. And because we read hundreds of papers every year – one page is better than two, and two is better than five, and more than five pages is too long.

4. Keep it simple

Form follows function; therefore, don’t overcomplicate or explain things in your summary. Most executive summaries are short texts, usually bulleted, divided into subheads. Illustrations such as an image of a product or a bar chart showing financial highlights are often a welcome addition.

5. Prioritize sections based on importance and strengths

Don’t bury the lead. Organize your executive summary so that the most important information is displayed first. There is no definite order of appearance of the different key items included, rather in fact – so use order to show emphasis.

Lead with what you want more attention and follow the items in order of importance. People tend to like summaries that start with an indication of a problem, because that can add drama and urgency that demonstrate the solution to your business.

6. Use it for your summary note

When done, reset it to a summary note. It’s the first chapter of a formal plan, but you can also use it as a standalone “summary note”. Investors often ask start-ups to submit a summary note rather than a full business plan.

It can be a short document, usually attached to an email, or simply a summary in an email. You can also use it again to fill out start-up profiles on investment platforms or to request an incubator or business plan contest.

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How To Write an Effective Executive Summary to Yield Results

By Kate Eby | April 3, 2018

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In this article, you'll learn how to craft an organized, well written executive summary the next time you have to gain the attention of a time-strapped audience.

Included on this page, you’ll find information on how to write an executive summary that wins the proposal, how to format your executive summary , an executive summary checklist , and more. 

What Is the Purpose of the Executive Summary?

An executive summary should be clear and concise (typically one to two pages long) and present the main points in a formal tone. The purpose of an executive summary is to pique the reader’s curiosity by presenting facts from the larger piece of content it is summarizing.

The executive summary can be either a portion of a business document (a business plan, project proposal, or report) or long articles and documents common in research-driven communities and academia. When crafted correctly, the executive summary provides an overview of the information and objectives in the larger document. The executive summary stands alone from the content it summarizes, and should include the essential information, the recommendations, the findings, and the conclusion of the more extensive document.

The Benefits of a Well Written Executive Summary

A well planned, well written executive summary is a valuable tool because it prioritizes the reader’s time and reduces the effort required to learn the critical aspects of the content. The summary can convey the purpose of your business plan, project proposal, product launch presentation, or sales pitch to keep the reader engaged and reading further, or empowered to take action. Even if it is the only thing your audience reads, a strong executive summary creates value for the reader as a first impression. Use the executive summary to make a business case, support a position, or tell a story. The reader should know how the subject of your content impacts them, benefits their work, their company, or their projects after reading the executive summary.  

Various industries use executive summaries as a communication tool, including healthcare, education, government, technology, real estate, finance, law, the nonprofit sector, and more. One of the benefits of using an executive summary is that it is not exclusive to one type of communication. Executive summaries show up in a variety of use cases, including the following:

Business plans

Legal briefs

Product launch plans

College campus surveys

Market research reports

Environmental studies

Project proposals

Hospital planning and evaluation

How to Write an Executive Summary

Crafting a useful executive summary requires more than simply cutting and pasting vital information from the body of your report or proposal. The executive summary may be the only part of the report your target audience reads, so you should spend the time to make it valuable.

It doesn’t have to be an intimidating process, but before you begin writing, you should ask the following critical questions:

Who depends on the information? When you write the executive summary, decide who you are targeting and the critical information that audience needs. What do they need to know to make a decision? What would they already know? Do you have a specific customer you want to reach with your message or story? Writing the executive summary with that audience in mind will make it useful because the story you’re telling about your business, project, or proposal will resonate.

What is the objective? While it’s true that an executive summary recaps essential information from the body of the content it summarizes, that is its function, not its purpose. Write the summary to your intended audience and include the crucial information that supports your objective for creating the document. What do you need the reader to understand? Is the aim to recommend change based on the results of your research? What needs to happen for the project plan to succeed based on your proposal? Let your objectives determine the content and context of your summary.  

What are you recommending? Use the executive summary to draw conclusions and make recommendations to the reader. If your report presents the need for change, recommend the actions that the body of your document supports in the summary. State the benefits of your product or service, or the solutions you provide more detail on in the proposal. Ultimately, don’t make the reader work to find out what action they need to take: Make your recommendations clear in the executive summary.

How will you make an impression? The “executive” summary earned its name from the need to get the upper management’s attention. Executives did not have the time to read every word of every document. The summary had to make an impression because it might be the only part of the material that would be read. Regardless of its origins, the principle of using the summary to make an impression on the reader is sound, as that impression might encourage the reader to keep reading or take action. Consider how you shape the message, organize the sections of your summary, or present research to stand out in a brief space.

Executive Summary Checklist

After you answer these questions and begin writing your document, refer to the following checklist as you develop the executive summary.

Download Executive Summary Checklist

What Is the Format of an Executive Summary?

Every executive summary intends to distill information to the reader upfront, so it is typically placed first in the document. (Sometimes it is a separate section of a formal business document listed in the table of contents.)

When used in a less formal manner, the executive summary is an opening paragraph, a separate one-page summary memo, or the first page of a report. For example, if your goal is to raise capital, use the executive summary like an investor profile that provides the reader the information necessary to land the meeting or get the funding, without further reading.

The format and length vary based on the purpose of the content that you are summarizing; there is no set structure to follow. Here are some formatting tips that you can use for any executive summary, regardless of the style:

Order of Appearance : Beyond the introduction, decide what sections of the summary are most important to the purpose of the document. Organize your subheadings or sections in that order. Use bullet points and plenty of spacing between the different parts of the summary to make the content more accessible to scanning eyes. By doing so, you naturally discard information better left to the body of the document, and you honor the reader’s time by prioritizing the message, recommendations, conclusions, or solutions in the longer document.  

How Much Is Too Much : Executive summaries vary in length based on the type of content they summarize or their purpose. Some recommend keeping the summary to a specific percentage of the overall document, while others advocate a set number of pages. Focus on keeping the summary brief but comprehensive, with the most important information available to the reader.

Audience Aim : The tone and language of the executive summary should match that of the target audience. Avoid using technical jargon that requires definitions, and present the information in an accessible manner based on the knowledge and expertise of your intended audience. Do not include acronyms or highlight data that need an extensive background for context, and avoid using casual, informal tones. That said, an executive summary used in internal communications will have a different tone and style than one used in external communication tools.

One-page Executive Summary Template

This template is designed to fit your executive summary on one page. Take advantage of the short sections and bullet points to keep the document concise and hook the reader with the information that will keep them reading. Organize the key points by customizing the subheadings to emphasize their importance based on your purpose for the document.

Download One-page Executive Summary Template

Excel  |  Word  |  PDF

What Are the Common Pitfalls of Executive Summaries?

When formatting and organizing the executive summary, beware of the following pitfalls that plague poorly written and poorly planned summaries:

Fact or Persuasion : Support your motives and the objective of the executive summary with the facts. If the summary is for a sales proposal or pitch deck, persuade your reader up front with data and information, not buzzwords and cliches. If the executive summary includes generalizations or opinions that you don't support within your material with market research, project examples, independent data, testimonials, etc., you risk misleading the reader. Avoid writing a summary that leads clients, policy makers, or management to an unsupported recommendation or conclusion for the sake of persuasion — instead, focus on the facts.  

Relevance Over Repetition : By nature, the executive summary is a repetitive summary of content. Therefore, only include the most relevant details — those that summarize the true purpose of the overall content. Use the rest of your business plan, research report, or client proposal to cover topics relevant background information at length. If you try to cut and paste too much information and context from your longer business or research document into the summary, the details might overshadow the impression you want to make on the reader. The background becomes the introduction, and you risk losing a reader’s attention (especially an online audience).

Consistency Is Key : The executive summary highlights the substance of the larger piece of content. Don’t feature information here that is not covered in the body of the proposal. Avoid using different subheadings to organize copy in the body of the report. For example, if you highlight “Project Milestones” in the executive summary, do not list them in a new section for “Project Goals” in the business proposal. Use the tone and language you establish in the summary throughout the material. If you target an audience without expertise in the subject matter, don’t switch to highly technical analysis in the body copy. Finally, if you cover something in the executive summary, cover it again in the report. Don’t make the reader work to learn more about something you highlighted in the summary.

Draw a Clear Conclusion : Write an executive summary that comes to a conclusion and supports your purpose for creating the document. Keep the reader’s interest in mind when you summarize a lengthy project proposal or report. Does the reader have a clear understanding of the solutions you propose? Can they identify the problems you solve? If the executive summary is the only thing they read, can they take action on your recommendations or anticipate a desired outcome based on the information you included?

Executive Summary Outline Template - PowerPoint

Use this free template to outline your next big presentation, or keep it updated as a live meeting record to keep up with your evolving internal business plans or funding needs. The slides are formatted to outline the important elements of a formal business plan summary. You can customize the slides to fit the order of importance for your content’s purpose or extend each. Use the slides as an outline to keep track of the content you want to summarize after every update or draft of the report.

‌ Download Executive Summary Outline Template - PowerPoint

What to Include in an Executive Summary

You will determine the components of each executive summary you write based on the reason for writing it and your target audience.

For example, a business plan for an external audience includes financial information and details on the size and scale of a company; startups seeking funding and investors will highlight specific financial requirements and how they impact the business strategy. Executive summaries vary in the content they cover, but here is a common framework:

Introduction : This opening statement, paragraph, or section should clearly state the document’s purpose and the content to follow. How you will use this section depends on the desired outcome for the reader or audience, who should immediately find value in the information you present. Therefore, the details included in the introduction should grab and hold the reader’s attention.  

Company Information : When writing an executive summary for an external audience, include your company name, a description of your mission or purpose, contact information, location, and the size and scale of your operations. In some cases, the summary introduces the founders, investors, and corporate leadership. It might include background information of each that outlines previous industry or startup experience, or historical context on the current state of the company. When used in a presentation or research report, introduce the team presenting or responsible for the report’s findings.

Products and Services : The executive summary is the place to highlight the problem you solve or the need you fulfill. For a report, this is where you might highlight what you researched and what the reader should know about your findings. For a project proposal, include what you’re planning to accomplish and what you need to make it successful. For marketing plans or product launch presentations, tell the reader why your service or product is relevant at this particular moment in time.

Market Analysis : The executive summary of a business plan might profile the target customer and explain the market opportunity for a product or service. Consider answering questions like: Is there a five year plan for this market? How do you anticipate growing the customer base and improving market share? What stands out from your research about your customers that the reader should know?

Competition Analysis : This section should include answers to the following questions:

What is the competitive advantage of your proposed solution or product and who or what do you compete with in this market?

What are the opportunities now and in the future?

What are the risks in your market and your product or service?

Do you have relevant experience with major competitors?

What are the future plans for growth and what obstacles do you anticipate addressing?

Financials : The executive summary might summarize key financial data that is relevant to the reader or data that supports your research. If the purpose is to secure funding, include the specific amount you are requesting. Be sure to provide context for the financial data or any number you highlight in the executive summary. This section is a great way to highlight growth, or to use metrics to provide perspective on the company.

Conclusions : Recap your findings, the problem and solution discussed, or the project and work proposed. If there is a decision the reader needs to make, be direct about it. Make the outcomes obvious, but leave enough intrigue for the rest of the content to follow.

How Do You End An Executive Summary?

Although the executive summary begins a document, it concludes so that it can stand alone from the rest of the content and still be of value. Use the conclusion to recap your findings, make recommendations, and propose solutions to the problem.

If there is a decision you want the reader to make, ask make a call to action in this section. If you are summarizing a research report, summarize the findings and the research methods used to conclude the work. Make the outcomes or recommendations visible, but leave enough out to incentivize the audience to continue reading. Close the executive summary with a strong statement or transition that sets up the theme or central message to the story you tell in the report or proposal.

What Should Be in the Executive Summary of a Business Plan?

Traditional business plans differ in context and content based on if the audience is internal or external. Both audiences benefit from some of the previously discussed elements of the executive summary (like a substantial introduction).

However, the summary of an internal business plan does not require a section that introduces management or key personnel. An external business plan targets an audience that expects to find crucial financial information in the summary. When you develop the executive summary of the business plan, determine the information to include based on the audience and purpose of the document.

Business Plan Executive Summary Template

This executive summary template is designed to get your business plan noticed and reviewed. In this scenario, you’re presenting to an external audience and therefore should include more attention to detail with a standard business plan document. Use bullet points and clear, formal language to guide the reader to the most important information about your company.

Download Business Plan Executive Summary Template

Excel  |  Word  |  PDF  | Smartsheet

You can find a variety of templates for various industries and needs by reading “Free Executive Summary Templates.”

What Should Be in an Executive Summary of a Report?

Josh Bernoff spent 20 years writing and editing reports for Forrester Research. He is an advocate of creating actionable reports that tell a story. He believes that the executive summary is crucial.

“If the report is a story, the right executive summary is the same story, written briefly,” writes Bernoff . He recommends imagining that your readers ask you questions like, “What’s the coolest stuff in this report?” and “What did you find out?” while writing the report.

“Your answer, written directly to the reader, is the executive summary,” Bernoff explains in his book.

The executive summary of a report requires vivid details that grab online readers’ attention in a hurry. According to Bernoff, the summary recaps the story you want to tell behind all the words in the report. Using this advice as a guidepost, consider including the following answers to these questions to create your report’s summary:

What is the central plot of your report?

Why is this story important?

What are the most memorable scenes (examples, data, case study results, etc.) from the different sections of the report?

How does your research address the story’s central conflict (the problem solved)?

How does your research support the story’s conclusion?

What actions does the story recommend the reader be aware of?

The executive summary of lengthy research reports — especially those used in academic articles, scientific journals, government studies, or healthcare initiatives — require additional formatting considerations and elements not found in business plans or proposals. Consider the following guidelines when developing the executive summary of a research report:

Present the sections of the executive summary in the same order as in the main report.

Do not include information or research that is not supported and presented in the body of the report.

Draw a conclusion with the executive summary that justifies the research and provides recommendations.

Use a tone and language to describe technical information that readers without advanced knowledge or expertise of the subject matter can understand.

Remember that an executive summary of a report is distinct from an abstract. Abstracts are shorter overviews of a report and are common in academia. They familiarize the reader with a synopsis of the research that is much shorter than an executive summary. You can also think of an abstract as a standalone statement that helps the reader determine if they will read on. The executive summary, by contrast, summarizes the research in a structure that includes the summary, methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations for the reader without necessarily having to read further.

Research Report Executive Summary Template

Use this template to create a synopsis of research results for reports — these will typically be longer than an executive summary for a business plan and proposal. The template is formatted to accommodate in-depth reports that need space for charts and tables to illustrate research data. It is designed to summarize technical information in a concise manner, with clear subheadings that communicate key findings to readers with various expertise and interest.

Download Research Report Executive Summary Template

Word  |  PDF

Get Funding with Your Executive Summary

Startups seeking capital investment from venture capital funds and angel investors can repurpose the executive summary from a business plan as a more concise, less formal investor profile.

This type of summary memo is stripped down and focused on the specific financial requirements and how the funding makes an impact on the business strategy. It is the perfect template to create a profile on investor platform websites like AngelList and Gust . Use the following tips to transform traditional business plan summaries into the pitch that lands you a meeting or funding:

Include the specific dollar amount you’re requesting, the purpose for the funds raised, and any relevant data such as repayment terms, collateral, equity share information, etc.

Keep the financial data simple and round to the nearest whole dollar amount.

List founders, partners, and key management personnel and highlight specific domain expertise or previous startup experience.

Describe your company’s growth plan and the proposed exit strategy.

Remove any industry buzzwords, meaningless phrases, and cliches (for example “the Uber of…,” “game-changing,” “disruptive,” “next Facebook,” “world-class,” etc.).

Mention noteworthy achievements, intellectual property, important business partnerships, or information on product development stages in test markets.

Describe work in progress and highlight relevant information about customer growth, market demand, and product development.

Startup Executive Summary Template

Transform your executive summary into an investor document with this template. It acts as a one-page pitch that serves as your company profile on investor platforms. You can repurpose this template and save it as a PDF summary memo to land future meetings with investors. For more information on business plans for startups, including free budget templates, read “ Free Startup Plan, Budget & Cost Templates .”

Download Startup Executive Summary Template

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Common Assignments: Executive Summaries

Basics of executive summaries.

Executive summaries are common in the Walden MBA program, but they are also found as part of some government and business documents. As a student, you should complete an executive summary when specifically requested to do so. An executive summary is a comprehensive review of a larger document. For example, a 35-page report may begin with a single-page executive summary all of the main information in the longer report. Any findings, conclusions, recommendations, or other details that appear in the larger document must be touched on in the executive summary. Readers should be able to read the executive summary alone and have a complete understanding of the larger document in its entirety.

How to Write an Executive Summary

It is important to meet all length and content expectations, so be sure to review the specific directions for your assignment. Also remember that the executive summary can only be written after the full-length document is complete.

Tips for completing the executive summary from Walden University (2013) include:

• List all of the main points in the same order in which they occur in the paper that you are summarizing.
• Take each point and turn it into a sentence.
• Add additional sentences to clarify or explain each point.
• Add a short introduction and a short conclusion. Include the name of the article, report, etc. and the author(s) in the introduction.
• Check grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Check for plagiarism.
• Read the summary slowly and carefully to make sure it covers all of the main points clearly, yet concisely. Also, check to be sure it is interesting. You want to catch your reader’s attention.
• Set it aside. Let some time pass and read it again. Often, you will catch items that you did not see the first time.

For academic writing, be sure to include appropriate citations and a reference. This is typically not part of a business executive summary but should be included for purposes of this program.

Executive Summary Versus Abstract

Like an executive summary, an abstract is a short summary of a larger text. Both executive summaries and abstracts are meant to capture the main ideas, findings, and conclusions of a longer document.  Executive summaries, however, tend to include more details than abstracts. An abstract includes enough information for readers to decide if they want to read the full-length document. Executive summaries must include enough information for readers to understand the full-length document without reading it.

Another difference between executive summaries and abstracts are the fields where they are used. Generally, executive summaries are common in business and government, while abstracts are more common in academia and at Walden, especially when seeking publication in a professional journal.

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How to write an executive summary in 10 steps

Whether presenting a business plan, sharing project updates with stakeholders, or submitting a project proposal, an executive summary helps you grab attention and convey key insights.

Think of it as a condensed version of a document, report, or proposal that highlights the most important information clearly and concisely. It's like a "cheat sheet" that gives you a snapshot of the main points without reading the entire thing.

Throughout the article, we'll explore some examples of executive summaries to give you a better understanding of how they can be applied. Plus, we'll provide you with ready-to-use templates and best practices for writing compelling executive summaries.

What is an executive summary?

An executive summary is a concise overview of a longer document or report. It is typically written for busy executives or decision-makers who may not have the time to read the entire document but still need to grasp its key points and recommendations. 

An effective executive summary should capture the essence of the document, highlighting the most important information in a brief and easily understandable way. It should provide a snapshot of the document's purpose, methodology, major findings, and key recommendations. The summary should be written in a way that allows the reader to quickly grasp the main ideas and make informed decisions based on the information presented.

Why do you need to write one?

For a business owner , an executive summary is one of the most important documents you will have. Like a business plan , they help you lay out the potential value of your business and your potential for success. 

Unlike a business proposal, however, an executive summary is designed to be read in a brief amount of time. That makes them ideal for a variety of uses, like project proposals and research summaries. Sending your strategic plan to a prospective investor or stakeholder likely won’t get you far. But a brief report that clearly states your key findings and what’s in it for them might help you — and your proposal — stand out. It isn't all the details. It's what gets you the meeting to share more.

An executive summary is also a business document that can travel without you. It may be presented to other leaders and potential investors. If it’s written well, it will take on a life of its own. You may find that you get support and resources from places you never imagined.

What should be included in an executive summary?

Your executive summary should include brief descriptions of who your product, service, or proposal is for and your competitive advantage. Be sure to introduce your report concisely yet clearly . Note the most important points and its overall purpose––what do you hope to achieve with this report? 

Also, include any necessary background information and statistics about the industry, high-level information about your business model, necessary financial information, or other insights you discuss in the report. Depending on your proposal, you may want to consider summarizing a market analysis of your target market.

Typically, an executive summary follows a structured format, including sections such as:

• Introduction: Provides a brief background and context for the document.
• Objective or purpose: Clearly states the goal of the document and what it aims to achieve.
• Methodology: Briefly describes the approach, data sources, and methods used to conduct the research or analysis.
• Findings: Summarizes the main findings, conclusions, or results derived from the document.
• Recommendations: Outlines the key recommendations or proposed actions based on the findings.
• Conclusion: Provides a concise wrap-up of the main points and emphasizes the significance of the document.

How do you write an executive summary?

When tackling an executive summary, it's all about following a structured approach to ensure you effectively communicate those crucial points, findings, and recommendations. Let’s walk through some steps and best practices to make it a breeze:

Step 1: Get to know the document

Take the time to dive into the full document or report that your executive summary will be based on. Read it thoroughly and identify the main objectives, key findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

Step 2: Know your audience

Think about who you're writing the executive summary for. Consider their knowledge level, interests, and priorities. This helps you tailor the summary to their needs and make it relevant and impactful.

Step 3: Outline the structure

Create an outline for your executive summary with sections like introduction, objective, methodology, findings, recommendations, and conclusion. This way, you'll have a logical flow that's easy to follow.

Step 4: Start strong

Kick off your executive summary with a captivating opening statement. Make it concise, engaging, and impactful to hook the reader and make them want to keep reading.

Step 5: Summarize objectives and methodology

Give a brief overview of the document's objectives and the methodology used to achieve them. This sets the context and helps the reader understand the approach taken.

Step 6: Highlight key findings

Summarize the main findings, conclusions, or results. Focus on the juiciest and most relevant points that support the document's purpose. Keep it clear and concise to get the message across effectively.

Step 7: Present key recommendations

Outline the important recommendations or proposed actions based on the findings. Clearly state what needs to be done, why it matters, and how it aligns with the document's objectives. Make those recommendations actionable and realistic.

Step 8: Keep it snappy

Remember, an executive summary should be short and sweet. Skip unnecessary details, jargon, or technical language . Use straightforward language that hits the mark.

Step 9: Review and polish

Once you've written the executive summary, give it a careful review for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Make sure it captures the essence of the full document and represents its content faithfully. Take the extra step to edit out any fluff or repetition.

Step 10: Dress to impress

Consider formatting and presentation. Use headings, bullet points, and formatting styles to make it visually appealing and easy to skim. If it makes sense, include some graphs, charts, or visuals to highlight key points.

Tips for writing an effective executive summary

• Adapt your language and tone to suit your audience.
• Keep things concise and crystal clear—say no to jargon.
• Focus on the most important info that packs a punch.
• Give enough context without overwhelming your reader.
• Use strong and persuasive language to make your recommendations shine.
• Make sure your executive summary makes sense even if the full document isn't read.
• Proofread like a pro to catch any pesky grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Executive summary template for business plans

Here's a general template for creating an executive summary specifically for business plans:

[Your Company Name]

[Business Plan Title]

Business overview

Provide a brief introduction to your company, including its name, location, industry, and mission statement . Describe your unique value proposition and what sets your business apart from competitors.

Market analysis

Summarize the key findings of your market research. Provide an overview of the target market, its size, growth potential, and relevant trends. Highlight your understanding of customer needs, preferences, and behaviors.

Product or service offering

Outline your core products or services, including their key features and benefits. Emphasize how your offerings address customer pain points and provide value. Highlight any unique selling points or competitive advantages.

Business model

Explain your business model and revenue generation strategy. Describe how you will generate revenue, the pricing structure, and any distribution channels or partnerships that contribute to your business's success.

Marketing and sales strategy

Summarize your marketing and sales approach. Highlight the key tactics and channels you will use to reach and attract customers. Discuss your promotional strategies, pricing strategies, and customer acquisition plans.

Management team

Introduce the key members of your management team and their relevant experience. Highlight their expertise and how it positions the team to execute the business plan successfully. Include any notable advisors or board members.

Financial projections

Summarize your financial projections, including revenue forecasts, expected expenses, and projected profitability. Highlight any key financial metrics or milestones. Briefly mention your funding needs, if applicable.

Funding requirements

If seeking funding, outline your funding requirements, including the amount needed, its purpose, and the potential sources of funding you are considering. Summarize the expected return on investment for potential investors.

Reiterate the vision and potential of your business. Summarize the key points of your business plan, emphasizing its viability, market potential, and the expertise of your team. Convey confidence in the success of your venture.

Note: Keep the executive summary concise and focused, typically within one to two pages. Use clear and compelling language, emphasizing the unique aspects of your business. Tailor the template to suit your specific business plan, adjusting sections and details accordingly.

Remember, the executive summary serves as an introduction to your business plan and should pique the reader's interest, conveying the value and potential of your business in a concise and persuasive manner.

Executive summary examples

Every executive summary will be unique to the organization's goals, vision, and brand identity. We put together two general examples of executive summaries to spark your creativity and offer some inspiration. 

These are not intended to be used as-is but more to offer ideas for how you may want to put your own executive summary together. Be sure to personalize your own summary with specific statistics and relevant data points to make the most impact.

Example 1: executive summary for a communications business plan

Introduction:

We're thrilled to present our innovative [insert product] that aims to revolutionize the way people connect and engage. Our vision is to empower individuals and businesses with seamless communication solutions that break barriers and foster meaningful connections.

Market opportunity:

The communications industry is evolving rapidly, and we've identified a significant opportunity in the market. With the proliferation of remote work, the need for reliable and efficient communication tools has skyrocketed. Our extensive market research indicates a demand for solutions that prioritize user experience, security, and flexibility.

Product offering:

At [Company Name], we've developed a suite of cutting-edge communication tools designed to meet the diverse needs of our customers. Our flagship product is a unified communication platform that integrates voice, video, messaging, and collaboration features into a seamless user experience. We also offer customizable solutions for businesses of all sizes, catering to their unique communication requirements.

Unique value proposition:

What sets us apart from the competition? Our user-centric approach and commitment to innovation. We prioritize user experience by creating intuitive interfaces and seamless interactions. Our solutions are scalable, adaptable, and designed to keep up with evolving technological trends. By combining ease of use with advanced features, we deliver unparalleled value to our customers.

Target market:

Our primary focus is on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that require efficient and cost-effective communication tools. We also cater to individuals, remote teams, and larger enterprises seeking reliable and secure communication solutions. Our target market encompasses industries such as technology, finance, healthcare, and professional services.

Business model:

To generate revenue, we employ a subscription-based business model. Customers can choose from different plans tailored to their specific needs, paying a monthly or annual fee. We also offer additional services such as customization, integration, and customer support, creating additional revenue streams and fostering long-term customer relationships.

Marketing and sales strategy:

Our marketing strategy centers around building brand awareness through targeted digital campaigns, content marketing, and strategic partnerships. We'll leverage social media, industry influencers, and online communities to reach our target audience. Additionally, our sales team will engage in proactive outreach, nurturing leads and providing personalized consultations to convert prospects into loyal customers.

Team and expertise:

Our team is composed of experienced professionals with a deep understanding of the communications industry. Led by our visionary founder and supported by a skilled and diverse team, we have the expertise to drive innovation, develop robust products, and deliver exceptional customer service. We're passionate about our mission and dedicated to making a lasting impact in the market.

Financial projections:

Based on extensive market research and financial analysis, we anticipate strong growth and profitability. Our financial projections indicate steady revenue streams, with increasing customer adoption and market share. We're committed to managing costs effectively, optimizing our resources, and continuously reinvesting in research and development.

Funding requirements:

To fuel our ambitious growth plans and accelerate product development, we're seeking [funding amount] in funding. These funds will be allocated towards expanding our team, scaling our infrastructure, marketing efforts, and ongoing product innovation. We believe this investment will position us for success and solidify our market presence.

Conclusion:

In summary, [Company Name] is poised to disrupt the communications industry with our innovative solutions and customer-centric approach. We're ready to make a positive impact by empowering individuals and businesses to communicate effectively and effortlessly. Join us on this exciting journey as we redefine the future of communication. Together, we'll shape a connected world like never before.

Example 2: executive summary for a project proposal

[Project Name]

[Project Proposal Date]

Hello! We're thrilled to present our project proposal for [Project Name]. This executive summary will provide you with a high-level overview of the project, its objectives, and the value it brings.

Project overview:

Our project aims to [describe the project's purpose and scope]. It's a response to [identify the problem or opportunity] and has the potential to bring significant benefits to [stakeholders or target audience]. Through meticulous planning and execution, we're confident in our ability to achieve the desired outcomes.

Objectives:

The primary goal of our project is to [state the overarching objective]. In addition, we have specific objectives such as [list specific objectives]. By accomplishing these goals, we'll create a positive impact and drive meaningful change.

Our proposed approach for this project is based on a thorough analysis of the situation and best practices. We'll adopt a structured methodology that includes [describe the key project phases or activities]. This approach ensures efficient utilization of resources and maximizes project outcomes.

The benefits of this project are truly exciting. Through its implementation, we anticipate [describe the anticipated benefits or outcomes]. These benefits include [list specific benefits], which will have a lasting and positive effect on [stakeholders or target audience].

Implementation timeline:

We've devised a comprehensive timeline to guide the project from initiation to completion. The project is divided into distinct phases, with well-defined milestones and deliverables. Our timeline ensures that tasks are executed in a timely manner, allowing us to stay on track and deliver results.

Resource requirements:

To successfully execute this project, we've identified the key resources needed. This includes [list the resources required, such as human resources, technology, equipment, and funding]. We're confident in our ability to secure the necessary resources and allocate them effectively to ensure project success.

A project of this nature requires a well-planned budget. Based on our analysis, we've estimated the required funding to be [state the budget amount]. This budget encompasses all project-related costs and aligns with the anticipated benefits and outcomes.

Our project proposal is an exciting opportunity to address [the problem or opportunity] and create tangible value for [stakeholders or target audience]. With a clear vision, defined objectives, and a robust implementation plan, we're ready to embark on this journey. Join us as we bring this project to life and make a lasting impact. 

Is an executive summary the same as a project plan?

While both are important components of project management and documentation , they serve different purposes and contain distinct information.

An executive summary, as discussed earlier, is a concise overview of a longer document or report. It provides a snapshot of the key points, findings, and recommendations. It focuses on high-level information and aims to provide an overview of the document's purpose, methodology, findings, and recommendations.

On the other hand, a project plan is a detailed document that outlines the specific activities, tasks, timelines, resources, and milestones associated with a project. It serves as a roadmap for project execution, providing a comprehensive understanding of how the project will be carried out.

A project plan typically includes objectives, scope, deliverables, schedule, budget, resource allocation, risk management, and communication strategies. It is intended for project team members, stakeholders, and those directly involved in the execution.

In summary, an executive summary offers a condensed overview of a document's key points, while a project plan provides a comprehensive and detailed roadmap for executing a project.

Executive summaries vs. abstracts

An executive summary is not the same as an abstract. Executive summaries focus on the main points of a proposal. They highlight when and why a reader should invest in the company or project.

An abstract, on the other hand, concentrates on what the business does and its marketing plan. It typically doesn’t include detailed information about finances.

While it is usually compelling, it’s less of an elevator pitch and more of a summary. The goal of an abstract is to inform, not to persuade. On the other hand, the goal of an executive summary is to give readers who are pressed for time just enough information that they’ll want to look further into your proposition.

When do you use an executive summary?

An executive summary is used in various situations where there is a need to present a condensed overview of a longer document or report. Here are some common instances when an executive summary is used:

• Business proposals: When submitting a business proposal to potential investors, partners, or stakeholders, an executive summary is often included. It provides a concise overview of the proposal, highlighting the key aspects such as the business idea, market analysis, competitive advantage, financial projections, and recommended actions.
• Reports and research studies: Lengthy reports or research studies often include an executive summary at the beginning. This allows decision-makers, executives, or other stakeholders to quickly understand the purpose, methodology, findings, and recommendations of the report without going through the entire document.
• Project updates: During the course of a project, project managers may prepare executive summaries to provide updates to stakeholders or higher-level management. These summaries give a brief overview of the project's progress, achievements, challenges, and upcoming milestones.
• Strategic plans: When developing strategic plans for an organization, an executive summary is often included to provide an overview of the plan's goals, objectives, strategies, and key initiatives. It allows executives and stakeholders to grasp the essence of the strategic plan and its implications without reading the entire document.
• Funding requests: When seeking funding for a project or venture, an executive summary is commonly used as part of the funding proposal. It provides a succinct summary of the project, highlighting its significance, potential impact, financial requirements, and expected outcomes.

In general, an executive summary is used whenever there is a need to communicate the main points, findings, and recommendations of a document concisely and efficiently to individuals who may not have the time or inclination to read the entire content. It serves as a valuable tool for understanding and facilitates quick decision-making.

5 ways project managers can use executive summaries

Project managers can use executive summaries in various ways to effectively communicate project updates, status reports, or proposals to stakeholders and higher-level management. Here are some ways project managers can use executive summaries:

• Project status updates: Project managers can provide regular executive summaries to stakeholders and management to communicate the current status of the project. The summary should include key achievements, milestones reached, challenges encountered, and any adjustments to the project plan. It allows stakeholders to quickly grasp the project's progress and make informed decisions or provide guidance as needed.
• Project proposals: When pitching a project idea or seeking approval for a new project, project managers can prepare an executive summary to present the essential aspects of the project. The summary should outline the project's objectives, scope, anticipated benefits, resource requirements, estimated timeline, and potential risks. It helps decision-makers understand the project's value and make an informed choice about its initiation.
• Project closure reports: At the end of a project, project managers can prepare an executive summary as part of the project closure report. The summary should highlight the project's overall success, key deliverables achieved, lessons learned, and recommendations for future projects. It provides a concise overview of the project's outcomes and acts as a valuable reference for future initiatives.
• Steering committee meetings: When project managers present updates or seek guidance from a steering committee or governance board, an executive summary can be an effective tool. The summary should cover the important aspects of the project, such as progress, issues, risks, and upcoming milestones. It ensures that decision-makers are well-informed about the project's status and can provide relevant guidance or support.
• Change requests: When submitting a change request for a project, project managers can include an executive summary to summarize the proposed change, its impact on the project, potential risks, and benefits. It helps stakeholders and decision-makers quickly assess the change request and make informed decisions about its implementation.

Using executive summaries, project managers can efficiently communicate project-related information to stakeholders, executives, and decision-makers. The summaries provide a concise overview of the project's status, proposals, or closure reports, allowing stakeholders to quickly understand the key points and take appropriate action.

When should you not use an executive summary?

While executive summaries are widely used in many situations, there are some cases where they may not be necessary or suitable. Here are a few scenarios where an executive summary may not be appropriate, along with alternative approaches:

• Highly technical documents: If the document contains highly technical or specialized information that requires a detailed understanding, an executive summary alone may not be sufficient. In such cases, it is better to provide the complete document and supplement it with explanatory materials, presentations , or meetings where experts can explain and discuss the technical details.
• Personal or creative writing: Executive summaries are typically used for informational or analytical documents. If the content is more personal in nature, such as a memoir, novel, or creative piece, an executive summary may not be relevant. Instead, focus on providing an engaging introduction or book blurb that entices readers and conveys the essence of the work.
• Short documents: If the document itself is already concise and can be easily read in its entirety, an executive summary may be redundant. In these cases, it is more effective to present the complete document without an additional summary.
• Interactive presentations: In situations where you can present information interactively, such as in meetings, workshops, or conferences, it may be more effective to engage the audience directly rather than relying solely on an executive summary. Use visual aids, demonstrations, discussions, and Q&A sessions to convey the necessary information and capture the audience's attention.

Final thoughts on writing a compelling executive summary

An executive summary isn’t the kitchen sink — it’s the bells and whistles. Geared toward busy decision-makers, these one-pagers communicate your case for action and proposed solutions. When it’s written well, your audience will walk away with an understanding of what needs to be done, why it needs to happen, and why they should help it move forward. 

But writing it well doesn’t just mean spell-checking. It means tailoring your communication to an influential, yet busy and distracted audience. To be effective, you’ll need to write your proposal with empathy and an understanding of what matters to them .

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Allaya Cooks-Campbell

With over 15 years of content experience, Allaya Cooks Campbell has written for outlets such as ScaryMommy, HRzone, and HuffPost. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and is a certified yoga instructor as well as a certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach. Allaya is passionate about whole-person wellness, yoga, and mental health.

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Executive Summary: Research Guidelines for A+ Papers

• Icon Calendar 30 July 2024
• Icon Page 5955 words
• Icon Clock 27 min read

When people work on organizing their research papers, they need effective guidelines on how to write an executive summary. This article provides insights students should grasp to create high-standard texts, including defining what is an executive summary, its meaning, and its basic format and structure. About its structure and format, a particular guideline teaches students all the sections of an executive summary, such as introduction, purpose statement, methods, findings, recommendations, limitations, implementation, and conclusion elements, corresponding contents of each part, and how to write each element. Other insights include 20 tips for producing a high-standard executive summary, including 10 dos and 10 don’ts, what to include, and 10 common mistakes. Lastly, the article gives a sample outline template for writing a good executive summary and a practical example of this section of a research paper.

General Aspects

A habit of reading different types of papers is helpful to a student’s mental preparation for course assessments but, more importantly, to their intellectual development. Reading various types of essays, reports, and research papers also induces mental faculties of intellect, reason, imagination, and intuition, which are essential for academic discourse. Indeed, one can tell a writer who reads habitually by how they construct and defend arguments and ideas in their works. Basically, this guideline for writing an effective executive summary includes essential insights into what students should and should not do when writing this element. In principle, the three main elements of an executive summary are an introduction, key findings, and recommendations. A provided article also defines what is an executive summary and its meaning, outlines its format and distinctive features, shows how to write each part of this section of a research paper, explains concepts, and gives helpful tips for producing a high-standard document. In turn, this guideline gives a sample outline template of a project paper and an example of an executive summary, as well as what people can include and what they should avoid when organizing such an element.

What Is an Executive Summary and Its Purpose

According to its definition, an executive summary is a brief text that accounts for main points of a longer document, mainly a market study report, project plan, and business proposal. In this respect, such a text serves the same purpose as an abstract, the only difference being that it is not used in research papers (Thomas, 2022). Ideally, an abstract is a short and descriptive section of essential details of a research paper, such as background, methodology, results, and conclusion. In contrast, an executive summary means writing a comprehensive overview of a report, research proposal, or project that explains its main points, including recommendations (Rehart, 2021). As such, the main purpose of writing an executive summary is to highlight key points, findings, and recommendations without requiring a reader to read a full report. Practically, an abstract is between 0.5-1 page, while an executive summary is about 5-10% of a document’s total word count. Since the primary purpose of an executive summary is to summarize an entire paper and its research comprehensively, this part precedes an introduction section of a report, proposal, or business plan (Rehart, 2021). In terms of pages and words, the length of an executive summary depends on academic levels and document complexities, while general writing guidelines are:

High School

• Length: 0.5-1 page
• Word Count: 125-250 words
• Length: 1-2 pages
• Word Count: 250-500 words

University (Undergraduate)

• Length: 1-3 pages
• Word Count: 250-750 words

Master’s

• Length: 2-4 pages
• Word Count: 500-1,000 words
• Length: 3-6 pages
• Word Count: 750-1,500 words

Note: Some sections of an executive summary can be added, deleted, or combined with each other, and it depends on an entire paper’s length and its scope of research. Basically, the five main parts of an executive summary are an introduction, problem or purpose, methodology, key findings, and recommendations (Thomas, 2022). Moreover, an executive summary typically appears at the beginning of most documents, before an introduction section and after a title page. In turn, an executive summary is usually one to two pages long, or about 10% of a total length of a main document. Finally, to start an executive summary, people begin with a concise statement that introduces a main paper’s purpose and research scope of a document.

Distinctive Features

An executive summary is identifiable by specific features that distinguish it from other texts, including essays and research papers. For example, to write an executive summary, people clearly and concisely present a main purpose for research, key findings, conclusions, and recommendations of a document, ensuring this part captures a paper’s essence and an actual importance of a full report (Giampalmi, 2023). Essentially, all scholarly documents require the same level of mental preparation by writers to produce high-quality work. However, students must understand that some papers are demanding because of their contents, which underscore a basic essay outline. The main contents that earmark distinctive features of an executive summary are an introduction, a purpose statement, methods, findings, recommendations, limitations, an implementation plan, and a conclusion.

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1️⃣ Introduction

An introduction of an executive summary highlights a document’s topic, which emphasizes the type of paper it is, such as a business proposal, project report, or market research report. In principle, an executive summary must be short and precise because a central focus is a chosen topic, and one should use a bridge sentence or short paragraph for an introduction (Falkenberg et al., 2024). In turn, some examples of sentence starters for beginning an executive summary are:

• This executive summary includes critical findings and strategic recommendations derived from a comprehensive analysis of [topic/issue].
• A primary objective of this report is to present main results and implications of extensive research on [topic/issue].
• This document synthesizes essential insights and proposed actions based on a presented investigation of [topic/issue].
• This proposal covers significant outcomes and strategic recommendations for an in-depth study of [topic/issue].
• A particular purpose of this study is to examine key conclusions and actionable insights from an entire evaluation of [topic/issue].
• This plan provides a concise overview of major findings and strategic advice resulting from a particular analysis of [topic/issue].
• A current business report outlines primary discoveries and strategic proposals from a rigorous examination of [topic/issue].
• This project paper aims to present pivotal results and recommendations identified through comprehensive research on [topic/issue].
• This business proposal offers a valid presentation of critical points and strategic implications derived from a particular study on [topic/issue].
• This executive summary for a research paper highlights core findings and proposed strategies based on a detailed literature review of [topic/issue].

2️⃣ Purpose Statement

A purpose statement of an executive summary communicates a document’s primary objective. In this respect, such an element provides a brief background of an assigned topic to enhance a reader’s understanding of an actual essence of an entire document (Rehart, 2021). In turn, a particular language in this part reflects an expected end, while common terms include ‘aim,’ ‘goal,’ ‘purpose,’ or ‘objective.’

3️⃣ Methods

In an executive summary, methods outline a scholar’s approach to achieving a primary objective, such as examining official data, conducting a field study, reviewing existing literature, or interviewing stakeholders. Basically, people need to understand that this component differs from methodology and literature review sections of research papers (Younas & Ali, 2021). In other words, this element does not detail the methods one has used to complete an entire work. On the other hand, authors need to outline particular strategies that help writers to better understand critical issues, such as challenges to a sector, stakeholder sentiments, industry insights, or potential barriers.

4️⃣ Findings

Findings in an executive summary are study outcomes of discussed methods. For example, it is what a scholar has discovered about a specific issue, such as an industry, stakeholders, or a project (Rehart, 2021). This component is crucial to readers because it offers a sneak peek into study outcomes that underscore a primary purpose of an entire document: project report, market research report, or business proposal.

5️⃣ Recommendations

Recommendations in an executive summary underscore a writer’s perspective regarding different issues that a research paper addresses as a challenge or problem. For example, if a given paper is a report about healthcare status, potential challenges or problems it identifies may be nursing shortages or medical errors (Thomas, 2022). In turn, provided recommendations should highlight what stakeholders, like the government and health institutions, must do to overcome these challenges or problems. Finally, such recommendations address what must be done to rectify a situation or make it possible to achieve specific outcomes.

6️⃣ Limitations

Like a research paper, an executive summary must point out some limitations that a document’s author encountered in reporting about a project or business plan. For example, these limitations may include a lack of goodwill among stakeholders, sufficient time to investigate a matter, or resources to execute a particular task (Thomas, 2022). This information is essential to a target audience because it indicates some dynamics influencing a primary objective.

7️⃣ Implementation Plan

An implementation plan is a component in an executive summary that provides a framework for adopting and implementing the recommendations. Typically, this information includes claims and activities, people responsible, a specific timeframe, and budget allocation (Rehart, 2021). Sometimes, an evaluation plan is also part of an implementation section.

8️⃣ Conclusion

A conclusion part of an executive summary is a call to action about a project paper, market research report, or business proposal. Unlike conclusions in other academic papers and essays that summarize paper’s main points, a conclusion part of an executive summary gives a direction about a whole document (Morris et al., 2024). Essentially, writers use this component to call to action an intended audience to adopt offered recommendations or compel stakeholders to adopt a particular perspective. In turn, this part also persuades a target audience to adopt a particular stance regarding a report or proposal.

Length Differences

Students should know the length of each of the above sections, except introduction and conclusion parts, depending on a document’s total length, which determines a specific word count of an executive summary. For example, a long and robust project report or business proposal requires a long executive summary with an extended purpose statement, methods, findings, recommendations, limitations, and implementation, which means the length of 4-10 double-spaced pages, or 2-5 single-spaced pages, or 1,000–2,500 words, depending on a particular volume of an overall work (Rehart, 2021). Typically, introduction and conclusion sections take a statement or short paragraph of 0.5-1 double-spaced page or 125-250 words, irrespective of a research paper or executive summary’s length. However, if a research paper is a long work of more than 10 double-spaced pages, 5 single-spaced pages, or 2,500 words, introduction and conclusion parts should not exceed 5-10% of a whole word count (Rehart, 2021). Besides, a corresponding body section of an executive summary must take about 80-90% of a total word count of a research paper, not less. The word count of a title page, a table of contents, an abstract, a reference page, and an appendix is not considered since these parts are technical and do not mean writing itself.

Structure and Writing of Each Section

Writing an executive summary requires students to demonstrate an understanding of its purpose. This understanding means students should know when to write its content, what to talk about, and how to write each of the sections above. On the other hand, to write a well-organized executive summary for a report, people concisely summarize a paper’s purpose and its scope of research, methodology, key findings, conclusions, and recommendations (Giampalmi, 2023). Therefore, writing an executive summary is essential to approach carefully and with the utmost focus.

1️⃣ Writing an Executive Summary as a Last Action

Because an executive summary overviews an entire research paper, students should write this part after finishing their market research papers, project reports, or business proposals. However, one should read and reread a whole document to know the most significant points forming part of brief components (Thomas, 2022). By writing an executive summary as a last item, one can have a mental picture of what to address to give a target audience a comprehensive sneak peek into a research document.

2️⃣ Making Notes of Important Aspects

While reading and rereading a research paper, students should take notes of the most critical aspects of their work that must appear in an executive summary. Moreover, one should identify crucial information in an introduction, a purpose statement, methods, findings, recommendations, limitations, an implementation plan, and a conclusion (Rehart, 2021). As such, these aspects must address each section above.

Writing an Introduction Part

When writing a college essay introduction, students must refrain from going into details about a specific purpose of a whole text because they will have an opportunity to do so later. While one may mention a document’s background, this person should make it concise to contextualize an assigned topic (Giampalmi, 2023). The most crucial detail is that an introduction part of an executive summary should be a sentence or brief paragraph. In turn, to write a well-structured executive summary for an essay, people succinctly present a main argument, key points, and conclusions of an entire paper, ensuring it captures an actual essence and significance of its content.

Writing a Purpose Statement Part

When writing a research paper’s purpose, students should communicate a specific type of document, such as a business proposal, a market report, or a project composition. The next thing is to state a valid background, provide a particular reason for writing, like sourcing funds, recommend solutions, or report progress and challenges (Rehart, 2021). However, one should avoid going into detail because they will do so later in an executive summary of a research paper.

Writing a Methods Part

When writing a methods section, one should focus on giving an intended audience a sense of a particular strategy that helps achieve study outcomes. However, students should approach this part differently than a methodology section of a research paper (Giampalmi, 2023). Instead, they should mention what they did to execute an entire work, such as interviewing stakeholders or analyzing official data. The best way to approach this section is to list everything one did to make a research paper.

Writing a Findings Part

Since a primary purpose of a findings section in a research paper is to narrate outcomes, students should write it in the past tense. Therefore, when writing this section of an executive summary, authors should see themselves as reporters educating a target audience about what they have learned in executing a particular task (Giampalmi, 2023). An essential detail students should note when writing this section is to refer to credible sources of information that lead to the findings. These reliable sources can be documents, organizations, individuals in leadership, or industry experts.

Writing a Recommendations Part

When writing a recommendations section in an executive summary for a research paper, students should focus on giving a clear and brief paragraph of what should happen after the findings. Essentially, one should address key decision-makers or stakeholders because they are responsible for creating change through policy (Rehart, 2021). The best approach to writing recommendations is to interrogate each challenge or problem and related findings to understand what must happen to create positive outcomes.

Writing a Limitations Part

The best approach to writing a limitations section in an executive summary for a research paper is to interrogate possible challenges. For example, such aspects that one has faced in a discussed project may include as a lack of goodwill among stakeholders or sufficient time, resources, or support (Rehart, 2021). Ideally, authors aim to inform an intended audience of some factors that have complicated their work or may complicate an overall implementation of offered recommendations.

Writing an Implementation Plan Part

When writing an implementation plan in an executive summary, students should focus on telling a target audience a specific procedure for actualizing provided recommendations. In this respect, the best approach to writing this section is to interrogate offered recommendations to determine what must happen to actualize each (Giampalmi, 2023). In principle, some issues to consider may include people in charge of implementation, such as an organization’s human resource director, a specific time it would take to actualize (timeline), a study budget, and how to measure success (evaluation).

Writing a Conclusion Part

When writing a conclusion part, students should aim to persuade an intended audience to adopt a particular stance regarding a research paper or proposal. Although one might reiterate a particular topic, it is not necessary to mention each of the preceding sections (Giampalmi, 2023). Instead, authors should focus on sending a strong communication regarding a central theme of a document. The best approach to writing a conclusion section is to influence a target audience’s perspective on an assigned topic in accordance with offered recommendations and implementation plan steps.

3️⃣ Explaining Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Key Terms

Since an executive summary is an overview of a market research paper, project report, or business plan, authors should write it clearly and precisely. For example, to write a correct executive summary for a research proposal, people briefly summarize a suggested purpose, key objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, and recommendations (Thomas, 2022). As such, the best approach is to use simple language and define all acronyms, abbreviations, and key terms. In turn, students should not assume that readers know what each acronym, abbreviation, and key term means when they read complete documents.

4️⃣ Proofreading, Revising, and Editing

After completing writing a research paper, students should proofread a complete document to identify grammatical and formatting mistakes and inconsistent arguments and ideas. For example, the best way to fix these mistakes and flaws is to revise a whole research paper by fixing mistakes, like missing punctuation and wrong citations, and editing a document by adding or deleting words and sentences to create a logical order of thoughts and ideas (Giampalmi, 2023). In turn, authors must be factual, not use word count fillers, and avoid unnecessary repetitions. Besides, they should know that a target audience is not interested in stories but in factual communication that makes logical sense.

Outline Template

Like essays, executive summaries have a specific structure students should demonstrate in their writing. The sections above underscore this outline template, meaning students should know what each section of writing an executive summary for a research paper entails and how to write it. Basically, the best way to write a high-quality executive summary is to create a template and populate this outline with ideas for a project, a business plan, a proposal, or a report (Giampalmi, 2023). In turn, such a preparation helps students to have a mental picture of a particular kind of document they want to have and a right attitude when writing.

I. Introduction: [Introduce a specific topic and state a particular kind of document, such as a market research paper, project report, or business plan].

II. Purpose Statement: [Explain a primary objective of a research paper, such as investigating a problem, souring some funds, or reporting its progress].

III. Methods: [Enumerate how a specific task is accomplished, such as examining official data, interviewing stakeholders, or reviewing existing literature].

IV. Findings: [Provide study outcomes of discussed methods, such as what official data reveals, stakeholders’ sentiments, or what research says].

V. Recommendations: [State clearly what stakeholders or key decisions must do to address possible challenges or problems that the findings reveal].

VI. Limitations: [Discuss defined challenges or problems that were encountered in completing a particular task, such as poor time management, a lack of support, or absent goodwill by stakeholders].

VII. Implementation Plan: [Include what stakeholders or key decision-makers must do to actualize provided recommendations, such as identifying a person responsible and establishing a budget and timeline].

VIII. Conclusion: [Persuade a target audience to adopt offered recommendations and work toward creating change by facilitating an implementation plan].

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Executive Summary Example

Topic: A Need for Proactive Climate Change Initiatives

I. Introduction

Stakeholders in a particular climate change discourse must shift their focus from discourse to practical, proactive measures to demonstrate seriousness in tackling the biggest threat of the millennium.

II. Purpose Statement

A Particular purpose of writing this executive study is to examine a current status of a climate change discourse, interrogate dynamics that make it unpromising as a practical solution to a particular crisis, and recommend what stakeholders must do to restore hope to millions globally who are afraid that climate change poses the biggest threat to an overall existence of current and future generations.

III. Methods

An executive report employs several data-gathering methods to achieve these objectives, including examining a climate change discourse over the decades to identify key themes: environmental policies, greenhouse gases, industrial pollution, natural disasters, weather forecasts, and others. Another method is interrogating research and official data on climate change by government agencies in the last three decades. A current report also considers interviews with environmentalists, social justice advocates, government officials, and leaders of organizations that dedicate their mission to creating awareness about a particular need for environmental conservation and preservation.

IV. Findings

Overall, the methods above reveal worrying findings about a discussed climate change discourse:

• Human activities, including industries and deforestation, have increased global warming to 1.1 degrees C, triggering unprecedented changes to the Earth’s climate. The lack of consensus on reversing human-induced global warming among the most industrialized countries suggests that such a trend will worsen in the coming decades.
• Adverse impacts of climate change are evident on people and ecosystems. Without urgent practical interventions, these impacts will become more widespread and severe with every additional degree of global warming.
• Developing and implementing adaptation measures in communities can effectively build and foster the resilience of people and ecosystems. However, stakeholders must interrogate their climate change funding priorities for effective proactive interventions.
• Communities will continue recording climate-induced losses and damages as long as communities cannot adapt to some impacts of this global problem. An example is 1.1 degrees C of global warming.
• Projections indicate global greenhouse gas (GHC) emissions will peak at 1.5 degrees C before 2025 in selected at-risk pathways.
• Burning fossil fuels remains a leading cause of a global climate crisis.
• Carbon removal is the most effective and practical solution to limiting global warming from peaking at 1.5 degrees C.
• There is a lack of commitment by key stakeholders to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Climate change and collective efforts to mitigate and adapt to its impacts will exacerbate global inequity if stakeholders do not prioritize just transition.

These findings of a research paper confirm that a climate change discourse is alive to the threat the global problem poses to people and ecosystems and the weaknesses in current interventions.

V. Recommendations

This executive report recommends that key stakeholders, including governments, communities, policy experts, and financiers, must adopt to prioritize practical solutions to the global climate crisis.

• Stakeholders must target a net-zero climate-resilient future through urgent, systemwide transformations.
• Adopt policies that enhance access to fresh produce by establishing a relationship between farmers and consumers.
• Improve awareness about the critical benefits of organic foods.
• Consider policies that promote regenerative farm practices to eliminate toxins and revitalize soils.
• Create infrastructures for transforming waste into compost manure for farm use.
• Develop policies that encourage communities to embrace a green neighborhood.

VI. Limitations

This executive report recognizes several limitations that have made a real fight against climate change unproductive and threaten current and future endeavors to arrest the crisis. For example, stakeholders need to note that these limitations may undermine a particular implementation of provided recommendations in this report. One limitation is a lack of goodwill among key stakeholders. The four leading industrial powers, namely the United States, China, India, and Brazil, contribute to significant global atmospheric temperature increases. Traditionally, these countries have refused to agree on how to cut back on industries primarily because they are the main drivers of their economies. Another limitation is the mis-prioritization of financing, where much focus is on theoretical interventions, such as agreements and seminars, at the expense of practical solutions like building infrastructures for transforming waste into usable products. While stakeholders agree on an actual essence of the 3R (reuse, reduce, and recycle) framework, there is little practical implementation at the community level.

VII. Implementation Plan

A particular implementation plan for recommendations provided above recognizes government agencies as the most suitable implementers because official bodies are key stakeholders who finance climate change initiatives. A proposed business plan considers that, to shift a current climate change fight from mere discourse to practical evidence, stakeholders must prioritize the following:

• A budget of at least $50 million annually at the country level;
• A period of between 2-5 years; and
• Periodic evaluation of progress through at least one annual seminar or conference.

VIII. Conclusion

This executive research paper calls on all stakeholders in a discussed climate change discourse to reconsider a current focus by recognizing its failure to create meaningful change as evidence shows this crisis continues to worsen. Instead, they should focus on practical, proactive interventions focusing on communities because that is where much environmental damage happens. It is also where defined adversities of a current crisis manifest most powerfully.

Steps on How to Write an Executive Summary

Writing an executive summary is a technical undertaking requiring students to consider each section’s basic structure and essential details. When writing a research paper, one must know when to write each section and what to say (Thomas, 2022). In this respect, preparation, stage setup, writing a first draft of an executive section, and wrap-up are essential steps students should follow to produce a research paper document that meets quality standards. As a result, an executive summary should include a document’s purpose, key findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

Step 1: Preparation

As a first step in writing an executive summary, preparation helps auhtors to develop a proper mindset. For example, this step involves knowing a basic structure and what to write in each section of a research paper (Giampalmi, 2023). Therefore, a critical task for students in this stage is constructing a basic structure and stating what must happen in each section.

Step 2: Stage Setup

Setting up a stage is a second step in writing an executive summary. For instance, this step involves reading and rereading a document to identify critical details to address in each section of a basic structure (Giampalmi, 2023). The best approach to achieve this outcome is to make notes of the most vital data when reading a research paper.

Step 3: Writing a First Draft

A third step is to create a first draft of an executive summary by putting all the critical data into relevant sections. Ideally, people must start with a clear introduction where they point out a focal point of a research paper and then move to a study’s purpose statement, methods, findings, recommendations, limitations, implementation plan, and conclusion (Rehart, 2021). Each research section must summarize and not explain the most critical data.

Step 4: Wrap-Up

Wrapping a first draft into a final version of a research paper is a last step in writing an executive summary. This stage involves proofreading, revising, and editing a first version of an executive section to eliminate grammar mistakes and inconsistent statements (Rehart, 2021). As a result, authors must perfect their executive summaries of research papers by fixing errors and flaws that affect a logical progression of ideas and thoughts and an overall quality of an entire text.

Writing an executive summary can be demanding, particularly for students who do not prepare well or do not know what is most important. The following tips can be helpful: begin an executive summary by explaining why a specific topic is important; state a particular purpose of a research paper by outlining a unique problem and why it is essential or relevant to an intended audience; explain study methods that help to execute a defined task; state research findings; enumerate some limitations by addressing dynamics that undermine an overall implementation of solutions; consider different recommendations and list them using numbers or bullet points; outline an implementation plan that identifies a person or entity that oversee its execution, a budget allocation, and how to evaluate progress; and write a conclusion that persuades a target audience to adopt a particular perspective about a chosen topic. In turn, 10 dos and 10 don’ts that people should consider when writing their executive summaries in their research papers are:

• reading a research paper thoroughly to identify a primary objective, methods for collecting data, key findings, recommendations, significant limitations, and an implementation strategy;
• considering an intended audience of an executive summary to determine whether to use simple or technical language;
• writing formally and avoiding jargon;
• outlining a specific structure that considers all the main sections (introduction, purpose statement, methods, key findings, recommendations, limitations, implementation, and conclusion);
• organizing a brief text in a summary format;
• using a short, clear, precise, and captivating opening statement to hook readers;
• including each section to state the most critical details;
• focusing on summarizing a research paper rather than explaining its contents;
• reviewing a complete document for incorrect information;
• proofreading, revising, and editing an executive summary to eliminate all mistakes.

10 Dont’s

• using jargon to simplify complex terms and phrases;
• explaining rather than summarizing a research paper;
• creating too many grammar mistakes, such as missing punctuation and confusing words with a similar pronunciation;
• ignoring a basic outline for writing;
• writing a lengthy introduction;
• concentrating on some sections more than others;
• explaining ideas or concepts not discussed in a main text;
• providing a very short or long summary that does not align with a document’s total word count;
• beginning an executive summary with anecdote or irrelevant information;
• placing an executive summary at the end of a research paper.

Things to Remember

An executive summary in APA or any other format is a brief and well-structured summary of a long scholarly document, such as a research paper, that follows corresponding style guidelines, including a title, a clear statement of main points, and proper citations. In turn, general writing recommendations to remember include:

• Tell an interesting story. Writers should approach an executive summary as a platform for inducing a reader’s interest in reading a research paper. As such, one should use each section to tell what is most crucial to an intended audience.
• Highlight critical data. Writers should focus on what is most critical in each section of a brief text, emphasizing statistical data because it is visually captivating.
• Maintain a formal tone from beginning to end. Writers should avoid using jargon to simplify complex concepts or terminologies.
• Write an executive summary after completing an actual research paper. Writing an executive summary as a last element of a research paper helps one to approach this document as a final overview of main points. In turn, a typical mistake of starting an executive summary before writing an actual research paper is that authors can write about details they fail to address in a final version of a document.

What to Include

Common Mistakes

• Being Too Lengthy: An executive summary should be concise and straight to a single point, avoiding unnecessary details.
• Lacking Clarity: Failure to clearly present main points can confuse readers and dilute the impact.
• Ignoring a Target Audience: Not tailoring a presented content to specific needs and interests of an intended audience can make it less relevant and engaging.
• Overloading With Technical Jargon: Using too much technical language can make it difficult for non-expert readers to understand its content.
• Missing Key Information: Omitting essential findings or recommendations can leave readers without a clear understanding of a report’s significance.
• Focusing on Minor Details: Including trivial details can distract from a main message and reduce a research paper’s effectiveness.
• Inconsistent Tone: An inconsistent tone can make a brief text appear unprofessional and disorganized.
• Lack of Structure: Without a clear structure, a particular content can be hard to follow and fail to highlight the most important points.
• Repeating Content: Repeating the same information all the time can make a text redundant and longer than needed.
• Failing to Highlight Conclusions: Not emphasizing main conclusions and recommendations can leave readers uncertain about next steps.

This guide on how to write a well-organized executive summary of a research paper emphasizes its purpose and structure. Basically, such an element covers key sections, such as an introduction, background, objective, methods, findings, analysis, conclusions, and recommendations. Furthermore, effective executive summaries are clear, concise, and relevant, providing essential information without unnecessary details. As a result, following structured tips, like avoiding jargon and emphasizing key points, ensures this part of a research or any other type of paper communicates a document’s essence effectively.

Falkenberg, L. J., Joyce, P. W., & Soranno, P. A. (2024). How to write lay summaries of research articles for wider accessibility. Limnology and Oceanography Letters , 9 (2), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10373

Giampalmi, J. (2023). College research papers for dummies . John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Morris, W., Crossley, S., Holmes, L., Ou, C., Dascalu, M., & McNamara, D. (2024). Formative feedback on student-authored summaries in intelligent textbooks using large language models. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education , 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-024-00395-0

Rehart, M. J. (2021). Writing business research reports: A guide to scientific writing . Routledge.

Thomas, C. G. (2022). Research methodology and scientific writing . Springer.

Younas, A., & Ali, P. (2021). Five tips for developing useful literature summary tables for writing review articles. Evidence Based Nursing , 24 (2), 32–34. https://doi.org/10.1136/ebnurs-2021-103417

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Top 7 Research Executive Summary Templates with Samples and Examples

Gunjan Gupta

Imagine a bunch of researchers studying the technology world to figure out what makes people like certain gadgets. Their findings could change the game for big tech companies and small startups alike. But here's the catch—they need to tell busy folks, like executives and investors, what they found without putting them to sleep.

This is where the magic of the research executive summary comes into play. By squeezing all their big ideas into a short and sweet format, the researchers can quickly tell the important stuff—what they learnt, how they figured it out, and why it matters. It's like a cheat code for decision-making and getting people excited about their work.

Study and make use of best-in-class executive summary templates with a click here.

In this blog, we're going to spill the beans on creating a killer research executive summary with ready-to-use templates. Each of these templates is 100% editable and customizable.

We'll break down the must-haves and give you practical designs to make your work shine.

Whether you're a research pro looking to level up your game or a newbie eager to get started, you'll have the tools to transform your research into a standout summary by the end of this journey. A summary that packs a punch and leaves a lasting impression in the highly competitive world of research and decision-making.

Learn all about project executive summary templates and download as per presence with a  click here .

What are you waiting for? It’s time to get down to business, folks!

Template 1: Executive Summary Clinical Medicine Research Company Profile

Elevate your presentation with this comprehensive PPT Template encapsulating your company's essence. Unveil your corporate identity, spotlighting key statistics and financial insights. Explore critical facets such as regulatory approvals, global market share, employee count, and revenue CAGR with a clear and concise delivery. Navigate the intricate Manufacturing, Business, and Research landscape to weave a compelling narrative of your organization's journey. This slide is a dynamic canvas, allowing you to tailor and personalize the content to align with your unique needs, whether clinical medicine, hospital and life science, or any other. The immediate download availability ensures efficiency, making it an asset for professionals seeking a polished and impactful presentation. Seize the opportunity to impress your audience and highlight your company's expertise with a download of this template.

Download now

Template 2: Executive Summary IT Services Research and Development Company Profile

This dynamic PPT Slide serves as a visual gateway and encapsulates facets of your enterprise. Delve into a comprehensive business introduction, unveiling the essence of your operations. Engage stakeholders with statistics, ranging from revenue and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) to global market share and market capitalization. Navigate seamlessly through the executive summary, gaining insights into your company's transformative journey. The founder's embedded message provides a visionary perspective on future targets. Tailor this template to your organization's unique identity, using it as a powerful tool for discussions and strategic navigation. Also, embrace it to study the future of Solutions, Transformation, and Automation. Download this template now and witness the transformation of your executive summaries into compelling narratives that captivate and inform.

Template 3: Hospital and Life Science Research Company Profile

Amplify the impact of your presentation with the comprehensive PPT Template. It encapsulates crucial company details, key statistics, and a thorough financial overview. Dive into a wealth of vital information, including the impressive count of regulatory approvals, the strength of your workforce, your commanding global market share, robust revenue CAGR, market capitalization, and more. Use the potential of this versatile template to captivate your audience, delivering a polished narrative on your Solutions, Services, and Business landscape. This dynamic template is the perfect canvas for tailoring and personalization to meet your unique requirements. This is a must-have resource for anyone aiming to convey a compelling and impactful message. Don't miss the opportunity to transform your presentations—secure this template now.

Template 4: Executive Summary Health and Pharmacy Research Company Profile

Enhance your research endeavors with this presentation template that delves into vital aspects of your company's profile. This one-stage template encapsulates company details, offering a concise overview of regulatory approvals, employee count, global market share, revenue CAGR, market capitalization, and total revenue. Perfect for educating and captivating your audience, this template provides a structured approach to showcase financial information, revenue insights, and executive summaries. Seamlessly weave your narrative through this visually appealing template to articulate your company's success story and foster a deeper understanding among your stakeholders. Don't miss out on the opportunity to effortlessly communicate the essence of your company's achievements. Grab this slide now to unlock its full benefits.

Template 5: Executive Summary of Manufacturing Industry Market Research Project Presentation Infographic

This one-page document provides a comprehensive overview of a recent market research initiative that the manufacturing industry conducted. The slide opens with a brief yet informative company and project overview, setting the context for the undertaken initiative. The research objective is to refine and optimize operational processes. The methodology and approach section follows, offering transparency into the research techniques employed to ensure the findings are credible and repeatable. A detailed cost breakdown structure provides stakeholders with insights into resource allocation. The exploration of market potential identifies lucrative opportunities, while the results and suggestions segment lead to actionable insights, offering a strategic roadmap for informed decision-making. In essence, this one-pager serves as a condensed yet robust reference, encapsulating the research journey and providing a foundation for strategic enhancements within the manufacturing sector.

Template 6: Executive Summary Market Research Analysis Company Profile

This PPT Slide serves as a comprehensive executive summary encapsulating critical facets of the organization. This informative snapshot delves into the company's essence, exploring its foundational aspects, top-notch acquisitions, and a brief financial summary that includes metrics such as revenue, gross profit, net income, and EBITDA. This dynamic PPT design empowers you to communicate information across four essential stages, facilitating a structured presentation of data. Moreover, it offers a strategic platform to articulate details on revenue, gross profit, and operational profit. Notably, the layout is fully customizable.

Template 7: Executive Summary Marketing Research Company Profile

Explore the comprehensive insights of your business with this powerful tool designed for in-depth discussions and seamless navigation through crucial aspects of your company. Delve into the Company Synopsis, unraveling the essence of your organization's identity, vision, and mission. Navigate through Major Acquisitions, gaining a nuanced understanding of strategic moves that have shaped your company's trajectory. It also contains financial summary, covering revenue streams, Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), net income, and EBITDA. Additionally, leadership is spotlighted in this slide, providing a closer look at the key decision-makers steering the organization towards success. Unlock the treasure trove of Key Solutions with innovative products or services that define your market presence. This template serves as an invaluable asset for discussions, strategy planning, and presenting a compelling narrative of your company's journey.

To That End

As we wrap up this blog journey on crafting impactful research executive summaries, envision a future where data isn't just information—it's a powerful force shaping decisions and steering industries. The templates shared here are not just tools but portals to a future where insights are currency and concise narratives wield transformative influence.

Download these templates, embrace the evolving landscape of research, and become the architect of a future where your summaries don’t just summarize—they forecast the next chapter in the ever-evolving story of progress. Step boldly into this visionary future—as a new journey awaits!

Research summary is also a job that needs to be done to ensure the entire effort is a success. Find best-in-class research summary templates with a click here.

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How To Write an Executive Summary (with examples)

An effective executive summary can mean the difference between a client win and the recycle bin. It's arguably the most valuable component of any business proposal , but many people get confused when it comes time to put pen to paper.

An executive summary is not actually about summarizing at all; it’s about selling. Here’s how to write a proposal executive summary that seals the deal, including the 5 key components you need and some helpful dos and don'ts.

(This article was originally published on 7/4/2017 and updated on 05/16/2023)

There is so much dissent surrounding the executive summary of a proposal— Where does the executive summary go? How long should an executive summary be? How do you format an executive summary? These uncertainties can add to the already stressful task of getting a winning proposal written, designed, and delivered to the prospective client on time. It’s time to set things straight.

What is an executive summary?

The executive summary is arguably the most valuable component of any proposal. It serves as an introduction, allowing readers to quickly get acquainted with your proposal by outlining what’s to come. It gives you an opportunity to sell your proposed solution and explain why the prospective client should choose you over the competition.

The purpose of an executive summary

First of all, the term “executive summary” needs a rebrand. The name itself speaks of stuffy suits, boring, jargon-filled reports, and boardrooms filled with cigar smoke and people ready to say no.

They can’t wait to read your executive summary.

In all seriousness, the word “summary” can be misleading, and this is the first mistake people often make when it comes to writing their executive summary. They think that the purpose of an executive summary is to explain the entire proposal in 250 words. But it’s not.

The real purpose of an executive summary is to engage your prospective client. It helps the prospect quickly decide whether they're going to read the rest of the proposal, pass it on to other decision-makers, or if it's destined for the recycle bin.

So you better make it good.

The executive summary of your proposal needs to grab the reader’s attention and pique their interest. Even though you and your team spent painstaking hours writing this proposal, selecting just the right graphics, and coming up with the best solution for your potential client’s problem, they may only read this one page and then flip to your pricing table.

That’s why this section needs to be specific and persuasive, with a focus on results and benefits of your company/product/service, rather than describing features. You can save the features for the body of the proposal.

When should you write the executive summary?

Whether you write the executive summary before or after the rest of the proposal is as contentious as the debate about the best part of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: the chocolate or the peanut butter.

Some people feel that you should write the executive summary first because it can help you outline your concept and organize your thoughts for the entire proposal. That way, it acts as a guide for members of your team who are tasked with preparing sections of the proposal, ensuring that the big idea is consistent throughout, and that all necessary components are included.

Others feel strongly that you should write the executive summary after you’ve prepared the rest of the proposal because you’ve had a chance to work through the objectives and the solutions, and you’ll have a better idea of what to say and how to say it. Plus, things may have changed since you first started the proposal, so you might need to adjust your approach.

How to format an executive summary

The format of an executive summary is an important consideration that many people overlook. What do you include? How do you arrange the sections? To help you get started, here are the components of a good proposal executive summary:

The Opener: Capture their attention

You need an opener that's compelling. A way to get the potential client’s attention right away, and you do that by talking about THEM, not about you. Focus on the issue and the result, but be direct, concise, and evocative.

This is the time to hook them in — get them excited about what they’re going to read next.

The Need: We get it

Before a client hires you, they want to know that you get them. You can’t solve a problem that you don’t understand. This section of the executive summary is where you demonstrate your grasp of the situation. You could include a bit of your own research or a brief reference to your company’s experience dealing with a similar situation. You should also talk about how the client will benefit from solving the problem — what will change, the positive outcomes, the results.

Again, the focus here is on the prospect and their challenge, not on you and your company.

The Proposed Solution: We’ve got it

Now you’re in the spotlight. This section is where you talk about the brilliant solution you’re proposing and why it will work. But remember, this is just an overview. The prospect can read all the delicious details in the proposal, so keep it high level but still provide enough detail to convince them you have something specific and well thought out for them.

This section should start to provide your prospect with a sense of relief and get them excited about the result.

The Evidence: We can do it

It's time to show your stuff. Talk about why your company, your team, or your product is not only willing to take this challenge on, but how and why you're qualified to do so. Demonstrate what sets you apart and why they should choose you over the competition.

Maybe this is your niche market and you have lots of experience helping other companies with a similar issue. Maybe it’s a particular skill set your team possesses, your research, your algorithm, or your project management process. Or maybe you’ve won 27 Academy Awards for best picture, and you know you can make this a hit.

Talk about WHY you can make this a successful project and deliver results, but (broken record) keep it brief.

The Call to Action: Let’s do it

Keeping in mind that the purpose of the executive summary is to sell, it’s now time to close the deal.

Make the client feel like they have no other chance for happiness than to hire you and proves your solution is the one that will make their dreams come true.

Talk about why you want to work with them — a little flattery goes a long way — and about how, as partners, you will be successful.

Executive Summary Examples

Without further adieu, here are four (fictional) business proposal executive summary examples that will get your prospects excited to work with you.

1. Example of Ecommerce Executive Summary

Prospect: Gyuto -- Japanese chef knife brand Sender: ThinkBig -- Shopify design agency Project title: Shopify ecommerce Proposal

Gyuto sells what is arguably the coolest line of artisanal, sustainably-sourced kitchen knives in the world. They're handmade in Japan, capable of slicing tomatoes as thin as paper, and surprisingly affordable, considering the attention to detail. But as impressive as Gyuto knives are, you've got a static website that merely showcases low-res photos of your product line and requires customers to pick up the phone and place orders manually.

As you're well aware, placing orders manually is not sustainable. It’s severely limiting your potential for sales, and it's negatively affecting the way your customers perceive and experience the Gyuto brand. You need an ecommerce store so that customers can easily buy products from you directly at any time, from anywhere, however they want. This is the only way to grow your business online.

Lucky for you (and 1,000,000 other retailers around the world) there's Shopify. Shopify is an awesome hosted ecommerce app that empowers retailers with an easy-to-use, easy-to-manage, customizable online store and secure checkout. Shopify gives you control over the look and feel of your store and allows you to add products, manage inventory, track sales, and more. It's hassle-free ecommerce that allows you to focus on other aspects of your business.

We'll focus on implementing Shopify and leveraging its features to help drive Gyuto revenue and improve your customer experience. We'll also include powerful search and categorization so customers can easily and quickly find what they're looking for. We use best practices so that product pages convert users to add more items to their shopping cart. And then, most importantly, we’ll guide people down the conversion funnel to complete the checkout process. With this solution, we aim to grow your monthly sales by 50% within the next six months.

Here at ThinkBig, we're proud to be Shopify experts. That means we're among an elite group of developers who have been trained and approved by Shopify to help businesses like yours grow their online presence. Our Shopify status only enhances our already extensive knowledge of ecommerce trends, functionality, customer behaviour, and design. We've helped many businesses transform underperforming sites to an all-out sales boom just by improving their online shopping experience.

We love working with companies like Gyuto. Those who embrace the changes required for growth while still honouring their brand values and customer loyalty. With this attitude, a partnership with ThinkBig can transform Gyuto from mom and pop shop to family-run global online enterprise in a way that is manageable, sustainable, and profitable. We've done it for superstar brands like Dollar Shave Club, and for soon-to-be star brands like Rum Runners Rum Cake Factory.

If you're ready to increase your monthly sales by 50% in 6 months, we're ready to take you there. This proposal outlines in more detail how we'll do it, and what you can expect along the way. But your biggest expectation should be one of success.

As you can see, ThinkBig addresses all five aspects of a winning executive summary. They focus on the client with the opener, identify the prospect's need in the second paragraph, offer a solution with evidence to back it up, and include a clear call-to-action. While this sample executive summary is on the longer side, it tells the prospect exactly why ThinkBig is right for the job before they even get to the meat of the proposal.

2. Example of Marketing Executive Summary

Prospect: Pete’s Pizzeria -- Toronto pizza restaurant Sender: uGrow -- Social media marketing agency Project title: Social Media Marketing Proposal

Pete’s Pizzeria has been our favorite restaurant since the very first day we moved our offices to Toronto. The crispy-yet-fluffy crust is to die for, the sauce is otherworldly, and don’t even get us started on that fresh buffalo mozzarella you use. Surely this isn’t the first time you’re hearing this, but we have a feeling that you don’t hear it often enough. We noticed that you don’t have much of a social media presence, which is unfortunate because we think that everyone in the city should be lining up to eat at Pete’s Pizzeria.

If you weren’t already aware, social media is one of the most effective ways to expand your reach and grow your business. Without it, you’re leaving a giant, untapped pool of potential customers on the table and you risk losing existing, hungry customers to other restaurants that they follow. What you need is a social media marketing strategy to showcase your delicious restaurant in order to increase sales and customer loyalty.

Fortunately, uGrow can help. We’ll leverage Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to get your name out to millions of users. Here’s how: First, we’ll get you set up on each of the platforms and work with you to establish the Pete’s Pizzeria brand and voice. Then, we’ll take some stunning pictures of your food and write captions with trending hashtags. After that, we’ll create a consistent content calendar and posting schedule to maximize engagement. And to top it all off, we’ll manage all of the accounts to grow follower counts and increase traffic to your website. With this approach, we expect to increase your sales by 25% before year end.

At uGrow, we specialize in helping small, Toronto restaurants like Pete’s Pizzeria reach their full potential and grow their business. We’ve worked with over 75 restaurants across the city and throughout the GTA, and every one of our clients saw an increase in sales within three months of us taking over their social media. We’ve had several posts go viral, which resulted in our clients’ restaurants being completely sold out for the following weeks. All this to say: we love Pete’s Pizzeria and want to help you get the attention you deserve.

If you’re interested in increasing your sales by at least 25% by the end of the year, we can make it happen. This proposal goes into more detail on how exactly we plan to execute on your social media marketing strategy, and what you can expect once we start. Let’s get Pete’s Pizzeria trending.

In this sample executive summary, uGrow does a great job at playing to Pete’s Pizzeria’s pain points (whew!), and offers specific solutions and outcomes to build credibility with the prospect. uGrow also makes a great use of social proof to demonstrate its effectiveness with evidence from past clients.

3. Example of Cleaning Services Executive Summary

Prospect: ELC Holdings -- Property management company Sender: CLEAND -- Commercial cleaning services company Project title: Cleaning Services Proposal

With over 15,000 rentals in 3 states, ELC Holdings is one of the biggest property management companies in the midwest. Your growing portfolio of residential and commercial properties is seriously impressive, but we heard you could use some help keeping your commercial spaces in good shape. As people begin to return to the office, it’s essential that your properties are clean, safe, and compliant to public health guidelines.

As you know, maintaining commercial spaces is no walk in the park. It takes a lot of time and effort to clean even one floor, let alone 4. And that’s just one of your many buildings. But now more than ever, it’s important that your spaces are well-maintained so that your tenants feel safe and secure. It’s not an easy task, especially if you lack the staff and equipment. This is why you need commercial cleaning services.

Having spent over 25 years in the cleaning services industry, we’ve built an experienced team and an arsenal of cleaning equipment that will leave your building absolutely spotless. We offer daily, weekly, and biweekly cleaning arrangements to ensure that your buildings are always in perfect shape for your tenants. From the carpets to the ceilings and everything in between, we can help you clean and sanitize every last corner of your properties so you can rest assured that your tenants are happy.

CLEAND specializes in commercial cleaning services, and has worked with over 200 businesses across the Midwest. We currently have contracts with the United Center and the Auditorium Building in Chicago, and haven’t had a single complaint in the 10 years they’ve been using our services. We provide consistent, reliable results, and stand by our commitment to quality. In fact, if you aren’t happy with our services, we’ll pay the first month’s bill if you switch to another cleaning services company.

ELC Holdings is one of the biggest property management companies in the Midwest, and CLEAND is one of the best cleaning services companies in the area. What do you say we join forces? This proposal outlines how our services could benefit your company, and details what to expect if you choose to seize this opportunity.

This sample cleaning services executive summary immediately highlights the prospect’s pain points and explains why CLEAND is uniquely positioned to help relieve them. It incorporates all five components of a well-written executive summary and even highlights different service offerings before the prospect digs into the solutions section of CLEAND’s cleaning services proposal .

4. Executive Summary Template Example

Here's an example of an executive summary made using a customizable proposal template from Proposify's gallery.

Of course every executive summary needs to be tailored to your specific project, your potential client's needs, and your brand voice. But if you're looking for more inspiration, we have many other business proposal templates that you can customize yourself.

Executive summary tips: The Do’s and Don’ts

Some other important points and guidelines to keep in mind when writing your executive summary:

Do: use a template for your executive summary Getting started is the hardest part of writing a proposal executive summary. If you’re struggling to get the ball rolling, consider using a business proposal template that includes a sample executive summary. This can help ensure that you cover everything an executive summary should include.

Don’t: make it too long

Some people recommend that the executive summary should be 10% of your entire proposal, but it’s best if you try to keep it to one page, two tops if it’s a larger proposal. Be mindful that if you’re working on an RFP, they may already set out a particular length limit, so you’ll want to stick to that.

Don’t: use jargon

This rule applies to everything but is especially important when writing proposals. Jargon can act as a smokescreen to mask the fact that someone doesn’t really know what they’re talking about, or it can confuse people if they’re not familiar with the same terms.

Don’t: use overly technical language

Unless you are absolutely sure that the only person who will read the executive summary is an engineer or a developer or someone who will understand exactly what you’re talking about, don’t get too technical. In some situations, you may need to reference certain details, but remember that this is a persuasive document—sell the benefits, not the features. Save the tech stuff for the proposal.

Don’t: talk about your company history

The history of your company does not belong in the executive summary. After all, the executive summary is about your prospective client, not about you. However, if it is appropriate and relevant, put it in the body of the proposal under “About Us” or something.

Do: focus on your prospective client

Think about what they want to know, not what you want to tell them. Like any piece of copy, you need to write for your audience, so make sure you think about them; what turns them off and what turns them on.

Do: mention your potential client’s company name

People like to hear their names and the same holds true for businesses. Make sure you reference your prospect’s full company name several times in the executive summary, so they feel like you’re focused on them.

Do: use plain language

The regular rules for writing apply to executive summaries. Use simple, short sentences that are clear and can be understood at almost any reading level, especially if you might be writing for people whose first language is not English. Don’t be pretentious - you’ll come off like an ass. Be concise, and be persuasive. Here are some more writing tips for writing an effective business proposal .

Do: proofread and edit

This probably goes without saying, but you really, really don’t want any typos in your executive summary. Get more than one set of eyes on your document before it goes out, and preferably someone who wasn’t involved in its creation.

We hope this executive summary guide will help turn your ho-hum executive summaries into wicked pitches of excellence. Remember to be persuasive, not pedantic. And if anyone has a suggestion on a new name for executive summary, bring it on.

Director of Communications @proposify. Channeling Maria Von Trapp, Queen Elizabeth II, and my taxi-driving, yard-sale-obsessed grandmother. Professional word nerd and unapologetic disciple of the Oxford comma. Connect on LinkedIn

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How to Write an Effective Executive Summary

• Survey Tips

What is an Executive Summary?

While Alchemer has powerful built-in reporting features that are easy to use and present, sometimes you need an executive summary to preface the results of any particularly large or important online survey or research project. An executive summary efficiently summarizes a larger business plan while communicating key findings and takeaways from your research, as well as proposed courses of action. 

For example, if a company performs a competitor analysis prior to deciding whether or not to move in a different strategic direction, a business plan would be put together to articulate findings and suggest the next steps. This business plan would open with an executive summary.  

As such, an executive summary quickly becomes the most important element of any business plan.

Executive summaries should include the following components:

• An explanation of why the research was performed
• The results that the research yielded
• Proposed suggestions for how management or leadership should best alter strategies based on the findings of research

Writing an executive summary can be a daunting task. It can be difficult to know where to start, what to write about, or how it should be structured.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to write an effective executive summary. 

How to Write an A+ Executive Summary

Write it last..

No matter what online survey software you use, the research you perform is only truly valuable when it’s able to inform business decisions and strategies. 

Once your online survey is performed, there is work to be done in terms of packaging your findings to leadership in a way that easily communicates the need for a new strategy. The most straightforward way to do this is to create a business plan that includes all of your research, findings, and suggestions. This business plan naturally requires an executive summary. 

Crafting the executive summary of your business plan after writing every other part of the report is the best practice. This ensures that you can build out a summary that represents the remainder of the plan as accurately as possible.

Capture the reader’s attention.

While an executive summary should be informative in nature, it should also capture the audience’s attention immediately so that they are motivated to read the remainder of the document. Even while crafting an objective presentation of your research findings and the proposed direction that your business, never forget that you want to inspire excitement in your audience!

At the end of your executive summary, your audience — whether they be an investor, banker, advisor, or executive — should be eager to read on. Your executive summary should be thorough, but it should not reveal everything. Your audience should be encouraged by the summary to read the remainder of your report if they want the full story. 

Make sure your executive summary can stand on its own.

With a clearly defined structure, an executive summary can be a standalone piece. Without one, however, it would need the support of the entire report to make an impact. Strive for the former, not the latter. 

If your executive summary can’t stand on its own, consider revising it until it can.  

A tightly informative introduction, body, and conclusion should allow someone with no prior knowledge of your business or industry to read your executive summary and understand the key findings from your research, and the primary elements of your business plan. 

Think of an executive summary as a more condensed version of your business plan.

Your executive summary should be directly aligned with the rest of your larger business plan. While writing your executive summary, read through your business plan and take the most vital information from each section. Numbers, facts, and goals in your business plan should be consistent with your executive summary.

Your executive summary should highlight the best features of your business plan. For example, if you’ve identified a primary advantage you should be leveraging, your executive summary should include this advantage.

Include supporting research.

Support the claims you make in your executive summary and the business plan with research, and cite this research via footnotes in your business plan. 

Boil it down as much as possible.

One of the most essential aspects of an executive summary is succinctness. You should condense your summary as much as possible, with the goal of getting all of the vital information onto one page. The more succinct you are, the clearer your message will be, and the more confidence your readers will have in your plan.

Start with a BANG.

Including a thought-provoking statistic, or an inspiring and relevant quote at the beginning of your summary will capture the reader’s attention and get them thinking on the track that you want them to. 

Keep things positive.

Your executive summary should focus only on the positive elements of your research and business plan. Leave the discussion of risks, obstacles, and challenges for the body section of your plan. Keep a positive tone and use upbeat language in your summary. 

The Five-Paragraph Formula for an Effective Executive Summary

An effective executive summary can be broken down into five key paragraphs. 

Paragraph 1: Provide an overview of your business.

As mentioned, you can get your readers thinking along the track you’d like them to by including a quote or statistic in the first paragraph of your executive summary. This first paragraph is also where you should provide the name and nature of your business, and relevant insights about your industry. 

Paragraph 2: Discuss target market, competition, and marketing strategy. 

Your second paragraph should include a clear and concise definition of your target market, and the need or pain point that your business will aim to solve. 

Next, outline the competitive landscape of your industry, and the advantage that your particular business possesses. 

Your marketing strategy should hinge on the three primary ways that you plan on reaching your target market. Focusing on just the three strongest points of your marketing strategy will maintain precision, and get your readers excited to explore the rest of your plan. 

Paragraph 3: Provide an overview of operational highlights. 

The third paragraph of your executive summary should provide operational highlights such as where your company offices will be located, whether or not you will incorporate or remain a sole proprietor, or whether you will serve as a brick and mortar or online business. 

Paragraph 4: Show forecasting.

Here you should make sales forecasting projections for one and two years after your business plan has been implemented. Calculate your break even point, and inform your audience of when you project to turn a profit.  

Paragraph 5: Detail your investment needs.

If your business requires financing, this is where you should go into detail about the investment needs of your business. The number you include here should be clear, and should align with your projections from the previous paragraph. 

You should now have the tools and knowledge to draft an effective executive summary to back up your online survey findings. Hopefully, this article has alleviated some of the overwhelming feelings that come with getting the ball rolling. 

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• How to write an executive summary, with ...

How to write an executive summary, with examples

The best way to do that is with an executive summary. If you’ve never written an executive summary, this article has all you need to know to plan, write, and share them with your team.

What is an executive summary?

An executive summary is an overview of a document. The length and scope of your executive summary will differ depending on the document it’s summarizing, but in general an executive summary can be anywhere from one to two pages long. In the document, you’ll want to share all of the information your readers and important stakeholders need to know.

Imagine it this way: if your high-level stakeholders were to only read your executive summary, would they have all of the information they need to succeed? If so, your summary has done its job.

You’ll often find executive summaries of:

Business cases

Project proposals

Research documents

Environmental studies

Market surveys

In general, there are four parts to any executive summary:

Start with the problem or need the document is solving.

Outline the recommended solution.

Explain the solution’s value.

Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work.

What is an executive summary in project management?

In project management, an executive summary is a way to bring clarity to cross-functional collaborators, team leadership, and project stakeholders . Think of it like a project’s “ elevator pitch ” for team members who don’t have the time or the need to dive into all of the project’s details.

The main difference between an executive summary in project management and a more traditional executive summary in a business plan is that the former should be created at the beginning of your project—whereas the latter should be created after you’ve written your business plan. For example, to write an executive summary of an environmental study, you would compile a report on the results and findings once your study was over. But for an executive summary in project management, you want to cover what the project is aiming to achieve and why those goals matter.

The same four parts apply to an executive summary in project management:

Start with the problem or need the project is solving.  Why is this project happening? What insight, customer feedback, product plan, or other need caused it to come to life?

Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives.  How is the project going to solve the problem you established in the first part? What are the project goals and objectives?

Explain the solution’s value.  Once you’ve finished your project, what will happen? How will this improve and solve the problem you established in the first part?

Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work.  This is another opportunity to reiterate why the problem is important, and why the project matters. It can also be helpful to reference your audience and how your solution will solve their problem. Finally, include any relevant next steps.

If you’ve never written an executive summary before, you might be curious about where it fits into other project management elements. Here’s how executive summaries stack up:

Executive summary vs. project plan

A  project plan  is a blueprint of the key elements your project will accomplish in order to hit your project goals and objectives. Project plans will include your goals, success metrics, stakeholders and roles, budget, milestones and deliverables, timeline and schedule, and communication plan .

An executive summary is a summary of the most important information in your project plan. Think of the absolutely crucial things your management team needs to know when they land in your project, before they even have a chance to look at the project plan—that’s your executive summary.

Executive summary vs. project overview

Project overviews and executive summaries often have similar elements—they both contain a summary of important project information. However, your project overview should be directly attached to your project. There should be a direct line of sight between your project and your project overview.

While you can include your executive summary in your project depending on what type of  project management tool  you use, it may also be a stand-alone document.

Executive summary vs. project objectives

Your executive summary should contain and expand upon your  project objectives  in the second part ( Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives ). In addition to including your project objectives, your executive summary should also include why achieving your project objectives will add value, as well as provide details about how you’re going to get there.

The benefits of an executive summary

You may be asking: why should I write an executive summary for my project? Isn’t the project plan enough?

Well, like we mentioned earlier, not everyone has the time or need to dive into your project and see, from a glance, what the goals are and why they matter.  Work management tools  like Asana help you capture a lot of crucial information about a project, so you and your team have clarity on who’s doing what by when. Your executive summary is designed less for team members who are actively working on the project and more for stakeholders outside of the project who want quick insight and answers about why your project matters.

An effective executive summary gives stakeholders a big-picture view of the entire project and its important points—without requiring them to dive into all the details. Then, if they want more information, they can access the project plan or navigate through tasks in your work management tool.

How to write a great executive summary, with examples

Every executive summary has four parts. In order to write a great executive summary, follow this template. Then once you’ve written your executive summary, read it again to make sure it includes all of the key information your stakeholders need to know.

1. Start with the problem or need the project is solving

At the beginning of your executive summary, start by explaining why this document (and the project it represents) matter. Take some time to outline what the problem is, including any research or customer feedback you’ve gotten . Clarify how this problem is important and relevant to your customers, and why solving it matters.

For example, let’s imagine you work for a watch manufacturing company. Your project is to devise a simpler, cheaper watch that still appeals to luxury buyers while also targeting a new bracket of customers.

Example executive summary:

In recent customer feedback sessions, 52% of customers have expressed a need for a simpler and cheaper version of our product. In surveys of customers who have chosen competitor watches, price is mentioned 87% of the time. To best serve our existing customers, and to branch into new markets, we need to develop a series of watches that we can sell at an appropriate price point for this market.

2. Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives

Now that you’ve outlined the problem, explain what your solution is. Unlike an abstract or outline, you should be  prescriptive  in your solution—that is to say, you should work to convince your readers that your solution is the right one. This is less of a brainstorming section and more of a place to support your recommended solution.

Because you’re creating your executive summary at the beginning of your project, it’s ok if you don’t have all of your deliverables and milestones mapped out. But this is your chance to describe, in broad strokes, what will happen during the project. If you need help formulating a high-level overview of your project’s main deliverables and timeline, consider creating a  project roadmap  before diving into your executive summary.

Continuing our example executive summary:

Our new watch series will begin at 20% cheaper than our current cheapest option, with the potential for 40%+ cheaper options depending on material and movement. In order to offer these prices, we will do the following:

Offer watches in new materials, including potentially silicone or wood

Use high-quality quartz movement instead of in-house automatic movement

Introduce customizable band options, with a focus on choice and flexibility over traditional luxury

Note that every watch will still be rigorously quality controlled in order to maintain the same world-class speed and precision of our current offerings.

3. Explain the solution’s value

At this point, you begin to get into more details about how your solution will impact and improve upon the problem you outlined in the beginning. What, if any, results do you expect? This is the section to include any relevant financial information, project risks, or potential benefits. You should also relate this project back to your company goals or  OKRs . How does this work map to your company objectives?

With new offerings that are between 20% and 40% cheaper than our current cheapest option, we expect to be able to break into the casual watch market, while still supporting our luxury brand. That will help us hit FY22’s Objective 3: Expanding the brand. These new offerings have the potential to bring in upwards of three million dollars in profits annually, which will help us hit FY22’s Objective 1: 7 million dollars in annual profit.

Early customer feedback sessions indicate that cheaper options will not impact the value or prestige of the luxury brand, though this is a risk that should be factored in during design. In order to mitigate that risk, the product marketing team will begin working on their go-to-market strategy six months before the launch.

4. Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work

Now that you’ve shared all of this important information with executive stakeholders, this final section is your chance to guide their understanding of the impact and importance of this work on the organization. What, if anything, should they take away from your executive summary?

To round out our example executive summary:

Cheaper and varied offerings not only allow us to break into a new market—it will also expand our brand in a positive way. With the attention from these new offerings, plus the anticipated demand for cheaper watches, we expect to increase market share by 2% annually. For more information, read our  go-to-market strategy  and  customer feedback documentation .

Example of an executive summary

When you put it all together, this is what your executive summary might look like:

Common mistakes people make when writing executive summaries

You’re not going to become an executive summary-writing pro overnight, and that’s ok. As you get started, use the four-part template provided in this article as a guide. Then, as you continue to hone your executive summary writing skills, here are a few common pitfalls to avoid:

Avoid using jargon

Your executive summary is a document that anyone, from project contributors to executive stakeholders, should be able to read and understand. Remember that you’re much closer to the daily work and individual tasks than your stakeholders will be, so read your executive summary once over to make sure there’s no unnecessary jargon. Where you can, explain the jargon, or skip it all together.

Remember: this isn’t a full report

Your executive summary is just that—a summary. If you find yourself getting into the details of specific tasks, due dates, and attachments, try taking a step back and asking yourself if that information really belongs in your executive summary. Some details are important—you want your summary to be actionable and engaging. But keep in mind that the wealth of information in your project will be captured in your  work management tool , not your executive summary.

Make sure the summary can stand alone

You know this project inside and out, but your stakeholders won’t. Once you’ve written your executive summary, take a second look to make sure the summary can stand on its own. Is there any context your stakeholders need in order to understand the summary? If so, weave it into your executive summary, or consider linking out to it as additional information.

Always proofread

Your executive summary is a living document, and if you miss a typo you can always go back in and fix it. But it never hurts to proofread or send to a colleague for a fresh set of eyes.

In summary: an executive summary is a must-have

Executive summaries are a great way to get everyone up to date and on the same page about your project. If you have a lot of project stakeholders who need quick insight into what the project is solving and why it matters, an executive summary is the perfect way to give them the information they need.

For more tips about how to connect high-level strategy and plans to daily execution, read our article about strategic planning .

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How to Write an Executive Summary (Example & Template Included)

Here’s the good news: an executive summary is short. It’s part of a larger document like a business plan, business case or project proposal and, as the name implies, summarizes the longer report.

Here’s the bad news: it’s a critical document that can be challenging to write because an executive summary serves several important purposes. On one hand, executive summaries are used to outline each section of your business plan, an investment proposal or project proposal. On the other hand, they’re used to introduce your business or project to investors and other stakeholders, so they must be persuasive to spark their interest.

What Is an Executive Summary?

An executive summary is a short section of a larger document like a business plan , investment proposal or project proposal. It’s mostly used to give investors and stakeholders a quick overview of important information about a business plan like the company description, market analysis and financial information.

It contains a short statement that addresses the problem or proposal detailed in the attached documents and features background information, a concise analysis and a conclusion. An executive summary is designed to help executives and investors decide whether to go forth with the proposal, making it critically important. Pitch decks are often used along with executive summaries to talk about the benefits and main selling points of a business plan or project.

Unlike an abstract, which is a short overview, an executive summary format is a condensed form of the documents contained in the proposal. Abstracts are more commonly used in academic and research-oriented writing and act as a teaser for the reader to see if they want to read on.

Executive Summary Format & Template

To put all of that information together, here’s the basic format of an executive summary. You can find this same information in our free executive summary template :

• Introduction, be sure to know your audience
• Table of contents in the form of a bulleted list
• Explain the company’s role and identify strengths
• Explain the need, or the problem, and its importance
• Recommend a solution and explain its value
• Justify said solution by explaining how it fits the organization
• A strong conclusion that once more wraps up the importance of the project

You can use it as an executive summary example and add or remove some of its elements to adjust it to your needs. Our sample executive summary has the main elements that you’ll need project executive summary.

How to Write an Executive Summary

The pressure of writing an executive summary comes from the fact that everyone will pay attention to it, as it sits at the top of that heap of documents. It explains all that follows and can make or break your business plan or project plan . The executive summary must know the needs of the potential clients or investors and zero in on them like a laser. Fortunately, we’ll show you how to write and format your executive summary to do just that.

Executive summaries vary depending on the document they’re attached to. You can write an executive summary for a business plan, project proposal, research document, or business case, among other documents and reports. However, when writing an executive summary, there are guidelines to ensure you hit all the bases.

Executive Summary Length

According to the many books that have been written about executive summaries, as well as training courses, seminars and professional speakers, the agreed-upon length for an executive summary format should be about five to 10 percent of the length of the whole report.

Appropriate Language

The language used should be appropriate for the target audience. One of the most important things to know before you write professionally is to understand who you’re addressing. If you’re writing for a group of engineers, the language you’ll use will differ greatly from how you would write to a group of financiers.

That includes more than just the words, but the content and depth of explanation. Remember, it’s a summary, and people will be reading it to quickly and easily pull out the main points.

Pithy Introduction

You also want to capture a reader’s attention immediately in the opening paragraph. Just like a speech often opens with a joke to break the tension and put people at ease, a strong introductory paragraph can pull a reader in and make them want to read on. That doesn’t mean you start with a joke. Stick to your strengths, but remember, most readers only give you a few sentences to win them over before they move on.

Don’t forget to explain who you are as an organization and why you have the skills, personnel and experience to solve the problem raised in the proposal. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy biography, often just your name, address and contact information will do, though you’ll also want to highlight your strengths as they pertain to the business plan or project proposal .

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Executive Summary Template

Use this free Executive Summary Template for Word to manage your projects better.

Relevant Information

The executive summary shouldn’t stray from the material that follows it. It’s a summary, not a place to bring up new ideas. To do so would be confusing and would jeopardize your whole proposal.

Establish the need or the problem, and convince the target audience that it must be solved. Once that’s set up, it’s important to recommend the solution and show what the value is. Be clear and firm in your recommendation.

Justify your cause. Be sure to note the key reasons why your organization is the perfect fit for the solution you’re proposing. This is the point where you differentiate yourself from competitors, be that due to methodology, testimonials from satisfied clients or whatever else you offer that’s unique. But don’t make this too much about you. Be sure to keep the name of the potential client at the forefront.

Don’t neglect a strong conclusion, where you can wrap things up and once more highlight the main points.

Related: 10 Essential Excel Report Templates

What to Include in an Executive Summary

The content of your executive summary must reflect what’s in the larger document which it is part of. You’ll find many executive summary examples on the web, but to keep things simple, we’ll focus on business plans and project proposals.

Getting everything organized for your executive summary can be challenging. ProjectManager can help you get your thoughts in order and collaborate with your team. Our powerful task management tools make it easy to get everything prioritized and done on time. Try it free today.

How to Write an Executive Summary for a Business Plan

As we’ve learned above, your executive summary must extract the main points of all the sections of your business plan. A business plan is a document that describes all the aspects of a business, such as its business model, products or services, objectives and marketing plan , among other things. They’re commonly used by startups to pitch their ideas to investors.

Here are the most commonly used business plan sections:

• Company description: Provide a brief background of your company, such as when it was established, its mission, vision and core values.
• Products & services: Describe the products or services your company will provide to its customers.
• Organization and management: Explain the legal structure of your business and the members of the top management team.
• SWOT analysis: A SWOT analysis explains the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your business. They describe the internal and external factors that impact your business competitiveness.
• Industry & market analysis: This section should provide an overview of the industry and market in which your business will compete.
• Operations: Explain the main aspects of your business operations and what sets it apart from competitors.
• Marketing plan: Your marketing plan describes the various strategies that your business will use to reach its customers and sell products or services.
• Financial planning: Here, you should provide an overview of the financial state of your business. Include income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements.
• Funding request: If you’re creating your business plan to request funding, make sure to explain what type of funding you need, the timeframe for your funding request and an explanation of how the funds will be used.

We’ve created an executive summary example to help you better understand how this document works when using it, to sum up a business plan.

Executive Summary Example

For this executive summary example, we’ll imagine a company named ABC Clothing, a small business that manufactures eco-friendly clothing products and it’s preparing a business plan to secure funding from new investors.

Company Description We are ABC Clothing, an environmentally-friendly manufacturer of apparel. We’ve developed a unique method of production and sourcing of materials that allows us to create eco-friendly products at a low cost . We have intellectual property for our production processes and materials, which gives us an advantage in the market.

• Mission: Our mission is to use recycled materials and sustainable methods of production to create clothing products that are great for our customers and our planet.
• Vision: Becoming a leader in the apparel industry while generating a positive impact on the environment.

Products & Services We offer high-quality clothing products for men, women and all genders. (Here you should include pictures of your product portfolio to spark the interest of your readers)

Industry & Market Analysis Even though the fashion industry’s year-over-year growth has been affected by pandemics in recent years, the global apparel market is expected to continue growing at a steady pace. In addition, the market share of sustainable apparel has grown year-over-year at a higher pace than the overall fashion industry.

Marketing Plan Our marketing plan relies on the use of digital marketing strategies and online sales, which gives us a competitive advantage over traditional retailers that focus their marketing efforts on brick-and-mortar stores.

Operations Our production plant is able to recycle different types of plastic and cotton waste to turn it into materials that we use to manufacture our products . We’ve partnered with a transportation company that sorts and distributes our products inside the United States efficiently and cost-effectively.

Financial Planning Our business is profitable, as documented in our balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. The company doesn’t have any significant debt that might compromise its continuity. These and other financial factors make it a healthy investment.

Funding Request We’re requesting funding for the expansion of our production capacity, which will allow us to increase our production output in order to meet our increasing customer demand, enter new markets, reduce our costs and improve our competitiveness.

If you’d like to see more executive summary examples for your business plan, you can visit the U.S. small business administration website. They have business plans with executive summary examples you can download and use.

Executive summaries are also a great way to outline the elements of a project plan for a project proposal. Let’s learn what those elements are.

How to Write an Executive Summary for a Project Proposal

An executive summary for your project proposal will capture the most important information from your project management plan. Here’s the structure of our executive summary template:

• Introduction: What’s the purpose of your project?
• Company description: Show why you’re the right team to take on the project.
• Need/problem: What is the problem that it’s solving?
• Unique solution: What is your value proposition and what are the main selling points of your project?
• Proof: Evidence, research and feasibility studies that support how your company can solve the issue.
• Resources: Outline the resources needed for the project
• Return on investment/funding request: Explain the profitability of your project and what’s in for the investors.
• Competition/market analysis: What’s your target market? Who are your competitors? How does your company differentiate from them?
• Marketing plan: Create a marketing plan that describes your company’s marketing strategies, sales and partnership plans.
• Budget/financial planning: What’s the budget that you need for your project plan?
• Timeline: What’s the estimated timeline to complete the project?
• Team: Who are the project team members and why are they qualified?
• Conclusions:  What are the project takeaways?

Now that we’ve learned that executive summaries can vary depending on the type of document you’re working on, you’re ready for the next step.

What to Do After Writing an Executive Summary

As with anything you write, you should always start with a draft. The first draft should hit all the marks addressed above but don’t bog yourself down in making the prose perfect. Think of the first draft as an exploratory mission. You’re gathering all the pertinent information.

Next, you want to thoroughly review the document to ensure that nothing important has been left out or missed. Make sure the focus is sharp and clear, and that it speaks directly to your potential client’s needs.

Proofread for Style & Grammar

But don’t neglect the writing. Be sure that you’re not repeating words, falling into cliché or other hallmarks of bad writing. You don’t want to bore the reader to the point that they miss the reason why you’re the organization that can help them succeed.

You’ve checked the content and the prose, but don’t forget the style. You want to write in a way that’s natural and not overly formal, but one that speaks in the manner of your target audience . If they’re a conservative firm, well then, maybe formality is called for. But more and more modern companies have a casual corporate culture, and formal writing could mistakenly cause them to think of you as old and outdated.

The last run should be proofing the copy. That means double-checking to ensure that spelling is correct, and there are no typos or grammatical mistakes. Whoever wrote the executive summary isn’t the best person to edit it, however. They can easily gloss over errors because of their familiarity with the work. Find someone who excels at copy-editing. If you deliver sloppy content, it shows a lack of professionalism that’ll surely color how a reader thinks of your company.

Criticism of Executive Summaries

While we’re advocating for the proper use of an executive summary, it’d be neglectful to avoid mentioning some critiques. The most common is that an executive summary by design is too simple to capture the complexity of a large and complicated project.

It’s true that many executives might only read the summary, and in so doing, miss the nuance of the proposal. That’s a risk. But if the executive summary follows the guidelines stated above, it should give a full picture of the proposal and create interest for the reader to delve deeper into the documents to get the details.

Remember, executive summaries can be written poorly or well. They can fail to focus on results or the solution to the proposal’s problem or do so in a vague, general way that has no impact on the reader. You can do a hundred things wrong, but if you follow the rules, then the onus falls on the reader.

ProjectManager Turns an Executive Summary Into a Project

Your executive summary got the project approved. Now the real work begins. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that helps you organize tasks, projects and teams. We have everything you need to manage each phase of your project, so you can complete your work on time and under budget.

Work How You Want

Because project managers and teams work differently, our software is flexible. We have multiple project views, such as the kanban board, which visualizes workflow. Managers like the transparency it provides in the production cycle, while teams get to focus only on those tasks they have the capacity to complete. Are you more comfortable with tasks lists or Gantt charts? We have those, too.

Live Tracking for Better Management

To ensure your project meets time and cost expectations, we have features that monitor and track progress so you can control any deviations that might occur. Our software is cloud-based, so the data you see on our dashboard is always up to date, helping you make better decisions. Make that executive summary a reality with ProjectManager.

You’ve now researched and written a persuasive executive summary to lead your proposal. You’ve put in the work and the potential client sees that and contracts you for the project. However, if you don’t have a reliable set of project management tools like Gantt charts , kanban boards and project calendars at hand to plan, monitor and report on the work, then all that preparation will be for nothing.

ProjectManager is online project management software that gives you real-time data and a collaborative platform to work efficiently and productively. But don’t take our word for it, take a free 30-day trial.

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• Lets keep talking: Oral language development in the early years

Let’s keep talking: Oral language development in the early years

• Oral Language

Language is the foundation for children’s learning and success. Children use oral language to become good thinkers and communicators, and to develop the literacy skills they need to achieve well in school and beyond. This report draws together a range of evidence to look at how well children are developing the oral language skills they need when they start school. We also look at how Early Childhood Education (ECE) can help children to develop these important skills, and recommendations for action.

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Read online, all sections, acknowledgements, executive summary, about this report, chapter 1: context, chapter 2: how well are children developing in oral language, chapter 3: good practice in developing oral language, chapter 4: how well are teachers supporting children's oral language development, chapter 5: how well are teachers set up and supported, chapter 6: findings and areas for action, list of figures, endnotes and references.

We acknowledge and thank all the parents and whānau, ECE service and school teachers and leaders, and others who shared their experiences, views, and insights throughout interviews, groups discussions, and surveys. We thank you for giving your time so that others may benefit from your stories. We thank you openly and whole-heartedly.

We give generous thanks for the ECE services and schools that accommodated our research team on visits, organising time in their day for us to talk to teachers and leaders. We know your time is precious.

We also thank the many experts who have shared their understandings of oral language in the Aotearoa New Zealand context with us. Ministry of Education staff and speech-language therapists had a pivotal role in the development of these reports. We particularly acknowledge the members of our Expert Advisory Group of practitioners, academics, and sector experts, who shared their knowledge and wisdom to help guide the evaluation and make sense of emerging findings.

Language is the foundation for children’s learning and success. Children use oral language to become good thinkers and communicators, and to develop the literacy skills they need to achieve well in school and beyond. This report draws together a range of evidence to look at how well children are developing the oral language skills they need when they start school. We also look at how early childhood education (ECE) can help children to develop these important skills.  

ERO found that while most children’s oral language is developing well, there is a significant group of children who struggle, and Covid-19 has made this worse. Quality ECE makes a difference, and the evidence shows there are key teaching practices that matter. We recommend five key areas of action to support children’s oral language development.  

What is oral language? 

Oral language is how we use spoken words to express ideas, knowledge, and feelings. Developing oral language involves developing the skills and knowledge that go into listening and speaking. These skills are important foundations for learning how to read and write. ERO looked at eight areas of language development:  

What are the early years? 

ERO looked at oral language development of children aged 0 to 7 years old in ECE and new entrant classes.   

What did ERO look at? 

ERO drew together a wide range of established international and Aotearoa New Zealand evidence. We also surveyed and spoke to parents and whānau, ECE and new entrant teachers, ECE service leaders, and a range of sector experts to understand how well children across Aotearoa New Zealand are developing oral language skills and how well supported they are. ERO visited a selection of ECE services and new entrant classrooms across Aotearoa New Zealand to better understand children’s progress and the teaching practices that support them.

Key findings

Oral language is critical for achieving the Government’s literacy ambitions.

Finding 1: Oral language is critical for later literacy and education outcomes. It also plays a key role in developing key social-emotional skills that support behaviour. Children’s vocabulary at age 2 is strongly linked to their literacy and numeracy achievement at age 12, and delays in oral language in the early years are reflected in poor reading comprehension at school.  

Most children’s oral language is developing well, but there is a significant group of children who are behind and Covid-19 has made this worse .  

Finding 2: A large Aotearoa New Zealand study found 80 percent of children at age 5 are doing well, but 20 percent are struggling with oral language.   ECE and new entrant teachers also report that a group of children are struggling and half of parents and whānau report their child has some difficulty with oral language in the early years.   

Finding 3: Covid-19 has had a significant impact. Nearly two-thirds of teachers (59 percent of ECE teachers and 65 percent of new entrant teachers) report that Covid-19 has impacted children’s language development. Teachers told us that social communication was particularly impacted by Covid-19, particularly language skills for social communication. International studies confirm the significant impact of Covid-19 on language development.  

"A lot of children are not able to communicate their needs. They are difficult to understand when they speak. They are not used to having conversations." (Teacher)  

Children from low socio-economic communities and boys are struggling the most.  

Finding 4: Evidence both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally is clear that children from lower socio-economic communities are more likely to struggle with oral language skills. We found that new entrant teachers we surveyed in schools in low socio-economic communities were nine times more likely to report children being below expected levels of oral language. Parents and whānau with lower qualifications were also more likely to report that their child has difficulty with oral language.  

Finding 5: Both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, boys have more difficulty developing oral language than girls. Parents and whānau we surveyed reported 70 percent of boys are not at the expected development level, compared with 56 percent of girls.   

Difficulties with oral language emerge as children develop and oral language becomes more complex.

Finding 6: T eachers and parents and whānau report more concerns about children being behind as they become older and start school. For example, 56 percent of parents and whānau report their child has difficulty as a toddler (aged 18 months to 3 years old), compared to over two-thirds of parents and whānau (70 percent) reporting that their child has difficulty as a preschooler (aged 3 to 5).

Finding 7: Teachers and parents and whānau reported to us that children who are behind most often struggle with constructing sentences, telling stories, and using social communication to talk about their thoughts and feelings. For example, 43 percent of parents and whānau report their child has some difficulty with oral grammar, but only 13 percent report difficulty with gestures.

Quality ECE makes a difference, particularly to children in low socio-economic communities, but they attend ECE less often.  

Finding 8: International studies find that quality ECE supports language development and can accelerate literacy by up to a year (particularly for children in low socio-economic communities), and that quality ECE leads to better academic achievement at age 16 for children from low socio-economic communities.

Finding 9: Children from low socio-economic communities attend ECE for fewer hours than children in high socio-economic areas, which can be due to a range of factors.    

The evidence is clear about the practices that matter for language development, and most teachers report using them frequently.

Finding 10 : International and Aotearoa New Zealand evidence is clear that the practices that best support the development of oral language skills are:  

Finding 11: ECE and new entrant teachers we surveyed reported they use these evidence-based practices often. ECE teachers reported that they most often teach new words and how to use them (96 percent), use conversation to extend language (95 percent), and read interactively with children (95 percent). New entrant teachers we surveyed reported they most frequently read interactively with children (99 percent), teach new words and how to use them (96 percent), and model how words make sentences (95 percent). 

Teachers’ practices to develop social communication are weaker.

Finding 12: ECE and new entrant teachers we surveyed both reported to us they develop social communication skills least frequently.    

Professional knowledge is the strongest driver of teachers using evidence-based good practices. Qualified ECE teachers reported being almost twice as confident in their knowledge about oral language.

Finding 13: Qualified ECE teachers we surveyed reported being almost twice as confident in their knowledge about how oral language develops than non-qualified teachers. Most qualified ECE teachers (94 percent) reported being confident, but only two-thirds (64 percent) of non-qualified teachers reported being confident.   

Finding 14: Qualified teachers reported more frequently using key practices, for example, using conversation to extend language (96 percent compared with 92 percent of non-qualified teachers).  

Finding 15: ECE teachers who reported being extremely confident in their professional knowledge of how children’s language develops were up to seven times more likely to report using effective teaching practices regularly.  

“We got the [provider] to come in and talk to us about the science, and the brain, and the neuroscience behind basically play-based learning.” (Teacher)  

“You know that you are using this strategy that is researched and proven to work.” (Teacher)  

Teachers and parents often do not know how well their children are developing and this matters as timely support can prevent problems later.  

Finding 16: Not all ECE and new entrant teachers are confident to assess oral language progress. Of the new entrant teachers we surveyed, a quarter reported not being confident to assess and report on progress. The lack of clear development expectations and indicators of progress, and lack of alignment between Te Whāriki and the New Zealand Curriculum , makes this difficult. Half of parents (53 percent) do not get information from their service about their child’s oral language progress.

Finding 17: Being able to assess children’s oral language progress and identify potential difficulties is an important part of teaching young children. However, not all ECE and new entrant teachers are confident to identify difficulties in oral language (15 percent of ECE teachers and 24 percent of new entrant teachers surveyed report not being confident).  

Finding 18: For children who are struggling, support from specialists, such as speech-language therapists, who can help with oral language development is key. But not all teachers are confident to work with these specialists, with 12 percent of ECE teachers and 17 percent of new entrant teachers surveyed reporting not being confident.

“Many are attending ECE, but not being referred early enough once the delay in oral language is noticed. Then when trying to get intervention, the wait times are too long and the support is inconsistent.” (New entrant teacher)  

ERO has identified five areas for action to support children’s oral language development.  

Area 1: Increase participation in quality ECE for children from low socio-economic communities 1) Increase participation in quality ECE for children from low socio-economic communities through removing barriers. 2) Raise the quality of ECE for children in low socio-economic communities – including through ERO reviews and Ministry of Education interventions. Area 2: Put in place clear and consistent expectations and track children’s progress 3) Review how the New Zealand Curriculum at the start of school and Te Whāriki work together to provide clear and consistent progress indicators for oral language. 4) Make sure there are good tools that are used by ECE teachers to track progress and identify difficulties in children’s language development. 5) Assess children’s oral language at the start of school to help teachers to identify any tailored support or approaches they may need. Area 3: Increase teachers’ use of effective practices 6) In initial teacher education for ECE and new entrant teachers, have a clear focus on the evidence-based practices that support oral language development. 7) Increase professional knowledge of oral language development, in particular for non-qualified ECE teachers, through effective professional learning and development. Area 4: Support parents and whānau to develop language at home 8) Support ECE services to provide regular updates on children’s oral language development to parents and whānau. 9) Support ECE services in low socio-economic communities to provide resources to parents and whānau to use with their children. Area 5: Increase targeted support 10) Invest in targeted programmes and approaches that prevent and address delays in language development (e.g., Oral Language and Literacy Initiative and Better Start Literacy Approach ).

Oral language is a critical building block for all children and essential to setting them up to succeed at school and beyond. Most children’s oral language is developing well, but there is a significant group of children who are behind (including children in lower socio-economic communities), and Covid-19 has made this worse. Quality ECE can make a difference.

We have identified five key areas of action to support children’s oral language development. Together, these areas of action can help address the oral language challenges children face. We have developed a suite of oral language evaluation, practice, and support resources for key individuals in the education sector and parents and whānau to use to support children with their oral language development.

ERO’s suite of oral language evaluation, practice, and support resources  

Language is the foundation for children’s ongoing learning and success. Children use oral language to become good thinkers and communicators, and to develop the literacy skills they need to achieve well in school and in life. This report looks at how well children are developing oral language skills, and at the range of teaching practices that support oral language development.

The Education Review Office (ERO) is responsible for reviewing and reporting on the performance of early childhood education services, kura, and schools. As part of this role, ERO looks at the performance of the education system, the effectiveness of programmes and interventions, and good educational practice.

In this report, ERO looks at how well children’s oral language is developing in the early years, the teaching practices used by Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers and new entrant teachers to develop children’s oral language, and the conditions which support good practices. We also outline what good practice strategies look like, based on research evidence, for supporting children’s oral language development.

This report describes what we found out about the current state of oral language in the early years in Aotearoa New Zealand. To do this, we looked at international and local evidence, and worked closely with an Expert Advisory Group that included academics, teachers, practitioners, and oral language experts.

As well as drawing together the established evidence, we learned through rich observations in early learning services and new entrant classrooms. Through surveys as well as in-depth interviews, we draw on the experiences of ECE leaders and teachers, new entrant teachers, primary school leaders, parents and whānau, and key experts. Together, these present a picture of how children’s oral language development is tracking, as well as the teaching that is happening to strengthen children’s oral language.

What we looked at

This evaluation looks at the current state of oral language in the early years and what can be done to improve children’s oral language. Across this work, we answer five key questions.  

• What is the current level of oral language development? (for 0 to 7-year-olds)  
• What impact has Covid-19 had?  
• How can ECE support oral language development and what does good practice look like?  
• How well are teachers in ECE and new entrant classes supporting oral language development?  
• What could strengthen oral language development in ECE?   

Good practice teaching strategies for promoting children’s oral language development, and the supports that underpin them, are unpacked in greater detail in our companion report: Good practice: Oral language development in the early years.  

Our companion good practice resources for ECE teachers and leaders, parents and whānau, and new entrant teachers, can be found on our website: evidence.ero.govt.nz  

Where we looked

We focused our investigation on children in ECE and in new entrant classes, their parents and whānau, and teachers and leaders in ECE services and new entrant classes across Aotearoa New Zealand.   

This report does not look specifically at the oral language development needs of disabled learners.    

Many children in Aotearoa New Zealand come from multilingual households and are learning two or more languages. We do not report specifically on children who are learning English as an additional language as a group in this report, but do discuss multilingual language learning.  

English, te reo Māori, and more.  

Our site visits and surveys draw from ‘English medium’ services and schools. (For evaluations that look at language learning in Māori-medium and Māori immersion early learning services, see our reports: ‘Āhuru mōwai’ (Te Kōhanga Reo) and ‘Tuia te here tangata: Making meaningful connections' (Puna Reo).

In Aotearoa New Zealand, all licensed ECE services are expected to provide opportunities for children to build their understanding of te reo Māori as well as English (and/or other languages relevant to the community), as part of the everyday experiences and learning that happen there. Ensuring children are able to access te reo Māori, and reflecting the cultures and languages of children and families at the service, is required and affirmed by our guiding curriculum and regulatory frameworks. When we talk about oral language in this report, this includes oral language in English, te reo Māori, and more. 

Some of our survey and site visit data comes from Pacific bilingual services, which primarily use Pacific languages as well as some English and te reo Maori. 

How we found out about the current state of oral language and teachers’ practice

This report draws together the wide range of international and New Zealand evidence about oral language development in the early years. In particular we draw on:  

• international meta-analysis of good practice in supporting oral language and contextualising it to Aotearoa New Zealand  
• Aotearoa New Zealand and international longitudinal studies ( GUiNZ 4 , SEED 5 and EPPSE 6 ) and administrative data  
• surveys of:   - 540 parents and whānau of children at early childhood education services and new entrant classes   - 308 ECE teachers   - 105 new entrant teachers  
• observations of:   - 10 ECE services across Aotearoa New Zealand   - 10 new entrant classrooms in six schools  
• in-depth interviews with:   - 15 parents and whānau   - 35 ECE teachers - 10 new entrant teachers from six schools   - five speech-language therapists   - five key informants (e.g., Ministry of Education leads).  

International and New Zealand evidence, alongside our surveys, rich observations and in-depth interviews presents a nuanced picture of the current level of oral language of children in New Zealand and how children can best be supported to develop their oral language. 

How this fits with previous ERO reviews 

In 2017, ERO asked early learning services and schools what they were doing in response to children’s oral language and development. We reported on the importance of supporting oral language learning and development from a very early age, with evidence showing these years are critical in terms of the rapid language development of children.   

Appendix 1 sets out findings and recommendations from ERO’s 2017 report in more detail.   

Report structure

This report is divided into six chapters.  

• Chapter 1 sets out the context of oral language, the role of ECE in supporting language development, and which children attend ECE.  
• Chapter 2 describes how well children are developing in oral language.  
• Chapter 3 sets out good practice in oral language development. (More detail can be found in our companion good practice report.)  
• Chapter 4 sets out how well teachers are supporting children’s language development using key teaching practices.   
• Chapter 5 describes how well teachers are supported to develop children’s oral language.  

We appreciate the work of all those who supported this research, particularly the teachers, leaders, parents and whānau, and experts who shared with us. Their experiences and insights are at the heart of what we have learnt.

Oral language is the most common way we share our ideas, experiences, and feelings with others and how we understand people around us. Oral language is also foundational to reading and writing. Children need to learn to speak and listen before they can learn to read. Quality early childhood education can help build and strengthen children’s oral language so that they are set up for success to communicate well with others, share their ideas and experiences, read and write when they start school, and more.  

This section sets out what oral language is, why it is important, and the role of early childhood education services in supporting oral language development.   

This chapter outlines:  

• what oral language is, including the aspects of oral language  
• why oral language is important  
• oral language indicators of progress  
• how ECE can help children develop oral language  
• which children are participating in ECE.  

What we found: An overview

Oral language is critical for the achievement of the Government’s literacy ambitions.

Oral language is critical for later literacy and education outcomes. It also plays a key role in developing key social-emotional skills that support behaviour. Children’s vocabulary at age 2 is strongly linked to their literacy and numeracy achievement at age 12, and difficulties in oral language in the early years are reflected in poor reading comprehension at school.

International studies find that quality ECE supports language development and can accelerate literacy by up to a year (particularly for children in low socio-economic communities), and that quality ECE leads to better academic achievement at age 16 for children from low socio-economic communities.

Children from low socio-economic communities attend ECE for fewer hours than children in high socio-economic areas, which can be due to a range of factors.  

1) What is oral language?  

Language is key to human connection and communication. It is essential for people to navigate through the world effectively. People communicate in a variety of ways, ranging from gestures to written and oral language. Oral language is the most common form of communication and includes:

→ listening (receptive language) skills: the ability to hear, process, and understand information → speaking (expressive language) skills: the ability to respond and make meaning from sounds, words, gestures or signing.

Through listening and speaking, children learn to communicate their views, understand others, and make and share their discoveries. In Te Whāriki, Aotearoa New Zealand’s ECE curriculum, oral language includes any method of communication the child uses in their first language.

We recognise Te Whārik i includes non- verbal methods of communication (e.g., NZSL, and use of assistive technologies). However, in this report, we refer to oral language as spoken communication in a child’s first language (the language they speak at home), because the evidence base available is robust for spoken language, while non-verbal language encompasses vastly different skills and strategies.  

2) Why is oral language important?

Children’s early oral language learning is critical for educational achievement later. It predicts academic success and retention rates at secondary school. Early measures of language, such as vocabulary at 2 years of age, predict academic achievement at 12 years of age and in secondary school.

Children need oral language to become proficient thinkers, communicators, and learners. Oral language is the foundation of literacy, helps children fully participate at school, is critical for children to recognise and express their own feelings and needs, and to recognise and respond to the feelings and needs of others.

Oral language is the foundation of literacy.

Before children can read and write, they need to be able to understand language. Children’s early reading, writing, and comprehension skills all build on their oral language.16 Oral language development links to better outcomes in reading comprehension, articulation of thoughts and ideas, vocabulary, and grammar.

Oral language enables communication in the learning environment. Oral language is used for sharing thoughts and transmitting knowledge. Oral language development includes using language for social communication and discussions with peers at ECE and school. It is needed for conversational skills in small groups, including being able to initiate, join, and end conversations. It also helps children learn more effectively, apply their learning through problem solving, and address challenges.

Oral language skills help children communicate their needs and wants.  

Poor social communication skills in childhood relate to behavioural problems when children have difficulty communicating what they need and want, and get frustrated, which is estimated to affect up to 10 percent of children in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Raising literacy levels

With many students starting below expected levels at secondary school, the New Zealand Government has set expectations for achieving improved literacy levels for Year 8 students. The Government has set a target that 80 percent of Year 8 students will be at or above the expected curriculum level for their age in reading and writing by December 2030.

To achieve this, children need the foundations of reading comprehension. Longitudinal studies in the UK and Aotearoa New Zealand link oral language in the early years and achievement in reading comprehension and literacy assessments in primary and secondary school.

3) What are the indicators of progress for oral language?  

In Aotearoa New Zealand, there are a range of sources for oral language progress markers or indicators. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health have both developed guidance and expectations for typical language development for children in their first five years. The Ministry of Education’s ‘Stepping stones’ for oral language development in the early years are set out in Table 1.  

In Aotearoa New Zealand, early childhood education and school have separate curriculum documents. The ECE curriculum, Te Whāriki , provides an indication of some of the growing interests and capabilities seen in infants, toddlers, and young children. Oral language learning is also a part of the school curriculum, which includes guidance for oral language for 5 to 8-year-olds. The New Zealand Curriculum (2007) English learning area sets out achievement objectives on:  

• making meaning of ideas or information that they receive, including listening   
• creating meaning for themselves or others, including speaking.  

Multilingual children

In Aotearoa New Zealand, 18 percent of children under the age of 14 years speak more than one language. Multilingual children can learn multiple languages at home, or can learn to speak one language at home and another in their learning environment.

Multilingual children who are capable in more than one language can have better creative thinking and multi-tasking skills, but children acquiring two or more languages at the same time do develop language at a different pace. It’s useful for teachers to be aware that it’s normal for multilingual children to take longer than children learning one language to:

→ have the same number of words in each language → combine words → build sentences → speak clearly.

Table 1 : Stepping stones for language development  

4) What is the role of ECE in supporting language development?  

Quality early childhood education has a central role in supporting oral language development in the early years. In Aotearoa New Zealand, high quality ECE reflects ERO’s Indicators of Quality .   ERO sets out domains, process indicators, and examples of effective practice that include professional learning, leadership, and curriculum expectations that contribute to positive learning outcomes for children. These include specific indicators and examples around:  

• effective assessment, planning and evaluation of teaching and its impact on children’s learning and development  
• the expectation that the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki are prioritised, and should provide the basis for assessment for learning  
• thoughtfully and intentionally giving priority to oral language, recognising that it plays a crucial role in learning.

How does oral language fit in to Te Whāriki , the ECE curriculum?

Te Whāriki includes specific goals and outcomes related to oral language – such as developing non-verbal communication skills for a range of purposes (goal), and understanding oral language and using it for a range of purposes (learning outcome). The Mana Reo | Communication strand focuses on children’s communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal. As of May 2024, the principles, strands, goals, and learning outcomes of Te Whāriki will be gazetted - which means that all licensed early childhood services will be required to implement them.

Quality ECE supports language development.   

Oral language and communication focused teaching in ECE services can help children make seven months’ additional progress on their language in a year.

Quality ECE reduces disparities in oral language for children when they start school.   

Attending quality early childhood education services not only improves children’s language outcomes, but also reduces the disparity in the level of oral language at school entry.

Children from low socio-economic communities benefit most from quality ECE that focuses on language and communication development. Quality early childhood education services and skilled ECE teachers can provide rich, immersive language experiences for children, which have particular value if children are missing these opportunities at home.

The duration of enrolment and hours of attendance also make a significant difference to the long-term outcomes for children from low socio-economic communities. International studies show that regularly attending a quality early childhood education service reduces the effects of multiple disadvantages on later achievement and progress in primary school, with these children achieving better outcomes in reading, writing, and science at 7 years of age.

Quality ECE enables children who need additional support to be identified and supported earlier.  

ECE teachers can notice language difficulties that may not be apparent to parents.  Support from ECE services and speech-language therapists are effective in helping children get back on track.

5) Which children are participating in ECE?  

In Aotearoa New Zealand it is not compulsory for children to attend early learning services, but most do.   

Nearly nine in 10 3 - to 4-year-olds attend ECE in Aotearoa New Zealand.  

The proportion of 3 - and 4-year-olds attending ECE increased between 2022 and 2023, but it is still lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Figure 1: Proportion of 3- and 4-year-olds attending licensed ECE services, 2019-2023

Children from low socio-economic communities attend ECE for fewer hours.  

International evidence shows that children from lower socio-economic communities attend ECE for fewer hours. We also find this in Aotearoa New Zealand

Of the 3-year-olds who attend ECE, less than two-thirds (60 percent) of children from low socio-economic communities attend ECE for more than 10 hours per week, compared with three-quarters (74 percent) of children from high socio-economic communities.

Of the 4-year-olds who attend ECE, only two-thirds (67 percent) from low socio-economic communities attend more than 10 hours per week, compared with four in five (81 percent) from high socio-economic communities.

Figure 2: Proportion of 3- and 4-year-olds who attended ECE more than 10 hours per week, by socio-economic community, 2023

Good oral language skills support children’s later literacy and academic achievement. Quality ECE can play a key role in supporting children’s oral language and literacy development. But concerningly, fewer children are attending ECE than before the Covid-19 pandemic, and children from lower socio-economic communities attend less. This is worrying, as the evidence is clear that quality ECE is especially effective in reducing inequity at school entry.

In the next chapter of the report we look at children’s oral language development, the impact of Covid-19, and the practices teachers in ECE services and new entrant classes are using to build children’s oral language.  

Children’s oral language development is critical to later literacy but some children are having difficulties, and this impacts on their ongoing learning. Boys, and children from low socio-economic communities, struggle the most.   

In this chapter, we set out how different aspects of children’s language are developing, where there are key differences are in children’s capabilities, and discuss the impact Covid-19 has had on children’s oral language.

What we did 

There are many aspects to oral language development, and factors that contribute to successful development. To understand how well children are developing oral language in the early years, we looked at:   

• international evidence  
• national longitudinal studies    
• our surveys of ECE teachers, new entrant teachers, and parents and whānau  
• our interviews with ECE leaders and teachers, primary school leaders and new entrant teachers, key experts, and parents and whānau.  

This section sets out what we found about:  

• language development in the early years  
• where children are at when they start school  
• impacts of Covid-19  
• which aspects of oral language children can struggle with most  
• differences in progress for boys, multilingual children, and children in low socio-economic communities.   

What we found: an overview   

Most children’s oral language is developing well, but there is a significant group of children who are behind and Covid-19 has made this worse.  

A large Aotearoa New Zealand study found 80 percent of children at age 5 are developing well, but 20 percent are struggling with oral language. ECE and new entrant teachers also report that a group of children are struggling and more than half of parents and whānau report their child has some difficulty with oral language in the early years.

Covid-19 has had a significant impact. Nearly two-thirds of teachers (59 percent of ECE teachers and 65 percent of new entrant teachers) report that Covid-19 has impacted children’s language development, particularly language skills for social communication. International studies confirm the significant impact of Covid-19 on language development.

Evidence both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally is clear that children from lower socio-economic communities are more likely to struggle with oral language skills. We found that new entrant teachers we surveyed in schools in low socio-economic communities were nine times more likely to report children being below expected levels of oral language. Parents and whānau with lower qualifications were also more likely to report that their child has difficulty with oral language.

Both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, boys have more difficulty developing oral language than girls. Parents and whānau we surveyed reported 70 percent of boys are not at the expected development level, compared with 56 percent of girls.

Difficulties with oral language emerge as children develop and oral language becomes more complex.  

Teachers and parents and whānau report more concerns about students being behind as they become older and start school. For example, 56 percent of parents and whānau report their child has difficulty as a toddler (aged 18 months to 3 years old), compared to over two-thirds of parents and whānau (70 percent) reporting that their child has difficulty as a preschooler (aged 3 to 5).

Parents and whānau and teachers reported to us that children who are behind most often struggle with constructing sentences, telling stories, and using social communication to talk about their thoughts and feelings. For example, 43 percent of parents and whānau report their child has some difficulty with oral grammar, but only 13 percent report difficulty with gestures.

1) How well is oral language developing in the early years?  

There is limited curriculum guidance and no national assessments.  

Te Whāriki , the curriculum for early childhood education, includes goals and outcomes for oral language – such as ‘developing non-verbal communication skills for a range of purposes’ and ‘understanding oral language and using it for a range of purposes.’

The New Zealand Curriculum (2007) includes key competencies for students such as use of language. These are not closely related to Te Whāriki outcomes for children in ECE.

There is no national measure or system-level national data for how well children under 5 are developing oral language. While ‘B4 School Check’ assessments help identify hearing problems or speech difficulty for 4-year-olds, they don’t measure broader oral language development.

We have to rely on studies, such as the Growing Up in New Zealand study (GUiNZ) and what parents and whānau and ECE teachers see, to get a broader understanding of how well children’s oral language is developing in ECE and into junior primary school.

Most children develop oral language well, but around one in five children in Aotearoa New Zealand have poor oral language skills.  

The GUiNZ study investigated over 5,000 4.5 - 5-year-olds’ oral language in 2019, using two verbal tasks. According to GUiNZ, one in five children had lower language ability in the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test which looks at children’s understanding of words, and a lower ability in the DIBELS Letter Naming Fluency task which looks at children’s ability to say the ‘names’ of letters.

According to GUiNZ, there is a high degree of variability in oral language in children. This variability continues in the first two years of primary school and can reflect that children’s development is not the same for all children and it does not always progress linearly.   

ECE teachers report that most children’s oral language development is on track, but there is a significant group of children who are behind.  

Most ECE teachers (89 percent) report three-quarters of the children they work with are at the expected level of oral language development. But 12 percent report that a quarter of the children they work with are behind.   

Parents and whānau are also concerned. 

More than half of parents and whānau (60 percent) with children under five report that their child has some difficulty with oral language in the early years.  

Figure 3: Parents and whānau reporting of whether their child has difficulty with oral language  

Teachers, parents and whānau become more concerned about language development as children get older.  

In our surveys, we asked parents and whānau about whether their child has difficulty with oral language skills that are generally expected at their age. For example, ‘say simple sentences with two or more words in them’ for toddlers, and ‘tell longer stories’ for preschoolers.

Parents and whānau report more preschoolers have difficulty with oral language than toddlers. Seventy percent of parents and whānau of preschoolers report their child has some difficulty with oral language, compared with only 56 percent of parents and whānau of toddlers.

Figure 4 : Proportion of parents and whānau who report their toddler or preschooler has difficulty with oral language

New entrant teachers are also more concerned than ECE teachers about the oral language skills of the children they work with. Only one-third of new entrant teachers we surveyed reported that most of the children they work with start school at the expected level of oral language.  Three-quarters of ECE teachers we surveyed reported that most of the preschoolers they work with are at the expected level of oral language.   

These differences in the level of concern reflect that as children grow older the oral language skills become more complex. It also may be that as this happens, it becomes more obvious to adults when children are below expected levels.   

"A lot of children are not able to communicate their needs. They are difficult to understand when they speak. They are not used to having conversations." (New entrant teacher)  

2) Impact of Covid-19  

Covid-19 has negatively impacted children’s oral language development.

International studies have consistently shown that Covid-19 negatively impacted children’s oral language, with fewer children achieving as expected during the pandemic than before.  For example, in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer children in Year 0 achieved ‘at least expected’ 

• literacy (9 percent difference)  
• communication and language (8 percent difference)  
• personal, social, and emotional development (7 percent difference) .   

We heard that Covid-19 limited children’s interactions with others, reducing opportunities to develop oral language. ECE teachers and new entrant teachers shared that negative impacts of Covid-19 included fewer opportunities for social interactions which support language development, increased screen time, and wearing masks which could impair speech development. ECE and new entrant teachers report social communication and development as the most significant negative impact of Covid-19. They also told us that Covid-19 had significantly impacted attendance at ECE, meaning reduced teaching and learning time.

“Less opportunity to engage in language development with peers and teachers - many children were educated at home and opportunities for language and learning were more limited.” (ECE teacher)  

“We've had more higher needs students come in since Covid-19 than before. A lot more non-verbal students, a lot more with speech sound problems. A lot more haven't been to preschool.” (School leader)   

ERO’s research during the Covid-19 pandemic also found that children’s oral language development was negatively impacted.

In 2023, three out of five (59 percent) ECE teachers and two-thirds (65 percent) of new entrant teachers we surveyed are still reporting Covid-19 impacting on children’s oral language development.  

Figure 5 : Percentage of teachers reporting Covid-19 had an impact on children’s oral language development

3) Which aspects of oral language do children have most difficulty with?  

We looked at the following key aspects of oral language development:  

a) Teachers  

We asked ECE teachers and new entrant teachers about children they work with who are below the expected level of oral language development. We found that both groups of teachers have the same top five, and bottom three, aspects of oral language that they are most often concerned about for these children.

ECE and new entrant teachers we surveyed are most concerned about five areas: grammar, rhyming, syntax, sounds, and stories.  For their children who are below expected levels of development, there are five aspects of oral language where both ECE and new entrant teachers we surveyed have concerns.   

ECE and new entrant teachers we surveyed are least concerned about three areas: words, social communication, and gestures.  

While both ECE and new entrant teachers share their top and bottom aspects of concern, new entrant teachers we surveyed are consistently more concerned than ECE teachers.   

Children are finding it challenging to form sentences as expected . 

In our interviews, we heard that children in both ECE and new entrant contexts find it challenging to combine words to form sentences. New entrant teachers told us that children below the expected level of oral language find it challenging to form grammatically correct sentences, and will communicate in fragmented sentences. We heard this results in children communicating in ‘demands’ as opposed to full sentences. 

“The children want to communicate and try; however, they will often use the same simple words or incoherent sounds to communicate regardless of different contexts and situations.” (ECE teacher )  

“It's not the lack of language for our tamariki, it's the inability to pronounce words correctly. Some of our four-year-old tamariki like to tell long stories, but it mostly comes out as gibberish, much like an infant babbling.” (ECE teacher)  

New entrant teachers told us that many children start school using language below what they would expect for their age and have difficulty constructing coherent sentences that are age appropriate.  

“There is a complete lack of positional language, pronouns and simple grammar tenses. A six-year-old might say "Me go pee" instead of "I need the toilet"… I have been teaching for 24 years and have never seen this low level of oral language.” (New entrant teacher)  

"They have difficulty both with understanding what is said to them and with formulating responses. They often fail to understand what teachers say, [and] miss important points in class." (New entrant teacher)  

Children below expected levels of oral language often find it challenging to share their experiences.

We heard that children below expected levels of oral language struggle to have a back-and-forth conversation that allows them to tell and share stories from home with their teachers and other children. This is a key aspect of literacy development as well as social development and learning.  

“There are more children who do not have the ability to share stories from home or understand conversational communication.” (ECE teacher)  

Fewer opportunities for children to engage in extended conversation makes oral language development more challenging.  

Teachers report there is less extended conversation happening between children and parents and whānau, due to parents and whānau, and children spending more time on screens.

“Many also have significant delays in the articulation of sounds, are unable to talk in more than a four - to five-word sentence, spend large amounts of time on devices… They have had very little interaction with books. Receptive language is very poor alongside expressive language.” (New entrant teacher )  

“I believe children are using screens far too much and do not have interactions with adults in the home as much, in this day and age. Talking to our tamariki makes them feel important and respected – listening and giving them time to respond is very important too.” (ECE teacher)  

In interviews, ECE and new entrant teachers shared their concerns about children’s social communication skills. Children find it challenging to change their language depending on social contexts and, if they do not have words to communicate, can find it difficult to feel understood by adults around them.  

“These children often struggle considerably with their emotional regulation and social skills as they cannot converse with their peers.” (New entrant teacher)  

b) Parents and whānau  

Parents and whānau are most concerned about their child’s ability to use: grammar, stories, social communication, syntax, and rhyming.   

We asked parents and whānau which areas of oral language development their child has difficulty with. Their areas of most concern relate to more complex communication and the ‘rules’ of speaking well.

Parents and whānau are least concerned about their child’s ability to use: sounds, words, and gestures.

They were less concerned about the areas of oral language that form the building blocks of speaking.  

Parents are also concerned about the impact of other children’s language ability on their child’s development.

“I feel concerned with the massive number of kids around the kindy that have speech issues. This has massive social implications for my daughter as she struggles to understand what they are saying. My daughter struggles to form some sounds too so this is a worry!” (Parent)  

Together, reports from teachers and parents and whānau indicate that children struggle to develop more complex elements of oral language (such as constructing sentences and telling stories) as opposed to the simpler elements of language (such as using gestures and a range of words).

4) How does children’s oral language development look for different groups?   

It is well established in the evidence base, and emphasised in Te Whāriki and other guiding documents, that individual children’s oral language learning and development progress varies between children.

This section sets out the differences in oral language development for :  

b) multilingual children  

c) socio-economic communities.  

The evidence shows that girls tend to develop their language skills earlier than boys. This means boys are likely to have lower language ability and lower verbal ability than girls who are the same age. But these differences tend to only be a matter of months. This means that it is normal and expected for girls to have similar oral language ability to boys that are a few months older than them.

However, it’s also important to be aware that boys are twice as likely than girls to have language impairments and difficulties.  Teachers have a key role in recognising the difference between expected variations, and language difficulties that get in the way of children learning and progressing in their oral language and literacy. We talk more about identifying language difficulties that would benefit from specialist support in Chapter 3 of this report.  

Parents and whānau of boys are more likely to report their child has some difficulty in oral language than parents and whānau of girls. The wider evidence is supported by our surveys which found that seven in 10 parents and whānau of boys (70 percent) report their child has some difficulty with oral language, compared with half of parents and whānau of girls (56 percent).

Figure 6 : Proportion of parents and whānau that report their child has some difficulty in oral language

There are specific oral language aspects where parents and whānau of boys report more difficulty than parents and whānau of girls. These are:   

→ social communication → making rhymes → syntax → words → stories.

Figure 7 : Proportion of parents and whānau that report their child has some difficulty in different aspects of oral language

These significant differences indicate that as a group, boys may require more targeted support for oral language development.   

b) Multilingual chi ldren

There are a range of significant benefits to learning two or more languages, such as better attention and problem-solving skills. Teachers have the opportunity to value and build upon the opportunities and benefits of children’s multilingualism. Te Whāriki sets out that “the languages and symbols of [children’s] own and other cultures are promoted” in ECE contexts, and clarifies that a positive outcome of quality ECE is children demonstrating “confidence that their first language is valued and increasing ability in the use of at least one language” – not necessarily English.

In terms of oral language development, it’s important for teachers to remember that children learning more than one language can make progress in English (and/or te reo Māori) at a slower pace than children who speak only one language. This makes sense, as multilingual children are learning a broader range of words, multiple ways that sentences can be constructed, and more. Careful consideration of individual children’s contexts, strengths, and information from families and experts need to be considered when assessing multilingual children’s oral language capabilities and needs.

Assessing multilingual children’s oral language progress  

When it comes to assessment, it’s important for teachers to be aware that children learning more than one language might take longer than their monolingual peers to grow their English or te reo Māori word bank, combine words, build sentences, and speak clearly compared to children who have one language. This is normal and expected. These children might also have stronger oral language skills or confidence in one language than the other, so teachers shouldn’t make assumptions about multilingual children’s oral language capability based on one language alone. Teachers should seek expert advice, for example from speech-language therapists, about how to assess and support the oral language progress of multilingual children.

Multilingual children progress at a different rate to children who are only learning one language, but they catch up. 

Sometimes multilingual children can mix up grammar or words from their two or more different languages, but the evidence shows they catch up with their single-language peers over time. Consistent with published evidence, ECE and new entrant teachers told us about multilingual children they work with who progress at a slower pace, but soon catch up.   

“As our tamaiti are learning two or three languages, their language and communication is often delayed but once they start, they catch up with their peers.” (ECE teacher)  

“In my room there is one new child, he speaks three languages. We got to know that he is interested in reading books, so reading books means he goes through the pictures - he can’t read the words. So it is easy for us to extend his language through reading books and showing the pictures.” (ECE teacher)  

Many children who speak another language at home may be more proficient in their home language. When children have English as an additional language (i.e., they mostly speak English outside the home) it can be difficult for teachers to accurately assess their language abilities.   

“There’s one new child, he speaks three languages – mum and dad have two different languages, then [he’s learning] English… He actually came from another centre, that had informed the parents that they were really concerned with his speech delays – but he speaks really well.” (ECE teacher)   

Our study aligns with the established evidence base: that multilingual children may appear to progress slower than monolingual peers, but soon catch up in their English or te reo Māori with appropriate teaching and support.  

c) Socio-economic background

Socio-economic background is a key factor in children’s oral language development.45 International and local evidence is clear that children from lower socio-economic communities are more likely to struggle with oral language and early literacy skills. For example, an Aotearoa New Zealand study found that children from higher socio-economic communities were about 3.5 times more likely than children from lower socio-economic communities to be able to name letters. In ERO’s study, we also found significant differences around socio-economic disadvantage.

New entrant teachers we surveyed in schools with more disadvantaged children 18 were more likely to report children in their class struggling with oral language.   

The Equity Index is a way to understand the relationship between socio-economic circumstances and student achievement. A higher EQI number indicates that a school has students facing more or greater socio-economic barriers.

Over a quarter of new entrant teachers in schools with a higher equity index number report that most of the children they work with have below expected levels of oral language, compared to just 3 percent of new entrant teachers in schools with a lower equity index.

Figure 8 : New entrant teachers reporting that most children they work with are below the expected level of oral language, by socio-economic community  

Parents and whānau with lower qualifications are also more likely to report their children have some difficulty with oral language.   

Consistent with published evidence,48,49 parents and whānau we surveyed with lower qualifications were more likely reported their child has at least some difficulty with oral language. About two-thirds (64 percent) of parents and whānau with a high school qualification or below (Level 0-3) report their child has some difficulty, compared to 58 percent of parents and whānau with a tertiary qualification (Level 7 or higher).

Figure 9 : Parents and whānau report their child has at least some difficulty with oral language, by parent qualification  

We heard that children from lower socio-economic communities face greater barriers to learning. For example, parents and whānau in lower socio-economic communities may be more likely to have limited time and resources to support their children’s oral language development at home. Teachers that we talked to identify low socio-economic status of families as a contributing factor for lower levels of oral language. We heard that this is sometimes linked to reduced attendance at ECE.

“Patterns of lower speech does seem to be more common in our lower income whānau.” (ECE teacher)  

“Children who are below expected levels have tended to be from lower socio-economic whānau or have not consistently attended daycare.” (New entrant teacher)  

ECE teachers, new entrant teachers, and school leaders from low socio-economic communities talked about the added and complex challenges faced by their families, and their ongoing difficulties in connecting with busy parents and whānau in ways that work for families.

“The [parent/whānau] engagement is not good… A ll parents have been invited to attend these speech language therapy lessons so that they can support their children at home. Other than one, no-one has taken up the offer.” (New entrant teacher)  

Oral language development is critical for children, but we don’t have a national measure for how children are developing. Evidence suggests most children are on track but around one in five children are not at expected levels of oral language development. Covid-19 has had an impact for many children.

Children have the most difficulty with more complex aspects of oral language, such as understanding syntax and telling stories, as opposed to more foundational aspects such as gestures and using words. Boys, and children from low socio-economic communities, can have more difficulty with oral language development than their peers.

In the next chapter, we discuss how quality ECE can help close the gap and set children up to succeed at school.   

ERO reviewed the international and local evidence base to find the most effective practices for supporting oral language in early childhood education services. We also visited early childhood education services and new entrant classrooms across Aotearoa New Zealand to capture good practice.   

This chapter summarises five practice areas and four supports that make the most difference. We unpack these in greater detail in our companion report Good Practice: Oral Language Development in the Early Years for ECE teachers, and accompanying guides for new entrant teachers and parents and whānau.  

ERO looked at good practice in supporting oral language in Aotearoa New Zealand early childhood services and classrooms.  

To find out what really works, we took a deep dive into the literature on good practice for supporting oral language development. This covered both the national and international literature base, and then we checked our understandings with Aotearoa New Zealand experts.  

In our fieldwork, we asked ECE teachers and leaders about the practical ways that they bring evidence-based oral language practices to life in their early childhood service. Their ideas, strategies, and stories can be found in our companion report, Good Practice: Oral Language Development in the Early Years.  

Which teachers will find these practices useful?  

This chapter of the report is focused on early childhood teaching practice – we draw from evidence and fieldwork around teaching and learning for children in early learning contexts.  

However, new entrant teachers, and other school teachers who work with students within Level 1 of the New Zealand Curriculum, may also find this chapter and companion report useful for their practice. 

There are five key areas of teaching practice

These practice areas are ways that teachers can actively support children’s oral language development in the early years. Each of these is broken down into a few ‘key practices’, which we set out later in the chapter. These are drawn from the established evidence base as well as advice from Aotearoa New Zealand experts.

The five key practice areas are:  

There are four key supports for good teaching practice  

Key supports are the foundations that need to be in place before teachers can do their best work in supporting oral language. Each of these is broken down into a few ‘elements of good support’, which we set out later in the chapter. These are drawn from the established evidence base as well as advice from Aotearoa New Zealand experts.

The four key supports are:  

In this chapter, we provide summary overviews of the five practice areas and four key supports, that together make a positive difference to children’s oral language learning and development. For more detail including practical strategies from ECE leaders and teachers, refer to our companion report.

Practice area 1: Teaching new words and how to use them

This practice area is about deliberately teaching and modelling words to children through everyday interactions. This includes intentionally using words to build a child’s understanding of words (their ‘receptive vocabulary’, or listening skills) and encouraging them to use and apply words in the right context (‘expressive vocabulary’, or speaking skills). Key teacher practices are: a) Naming b) Labelling c) Explaining d) Showing e) Repetition f) Extending Why are these important? Adults teaching and modelling different words for children is necessary for children to be able build and use a larger vocabulary themselves. This means children are increasingly able to comment on and describe things around them, interpret their world, and use more specific words (rather than general terms). Repeatedly naming and labelling the things children take an interest in helps them understand new words and store them in their memory. It also helps children understand that words can mean different things in different contexts.

Practice area 2: Modelling how words make sentences

This practice area includes intentionally using language to show how words are linked to make sentences (grammar), and providing opportunities for children to practice this in their own speech. Key teacher practices are: a) Storytelling b) Songs c) Questioning d) Sequencing e) Recapping Why are these important? Teaching and modelling how words link together helps children become familiar with the different sounds in words, rhythm, and rhyme, gain an interest in storytelling, and be able to be creative and expressive through describing and telling stories. These learning outcomes and strengths are emphasised in Te Whāriki and are pivotal to children’s ongoing literacy learning.

Practice area 3: Reading interactively with children

This practice area is about involving children in the process of reading aloud from books. This means encouraging children to be active participants during teachers’ book-reading. Key teacher practices are: a) Questioning b) Recalling c) Expanding d) Extending e) Explaining f) Retelling g) Rereading Why are these important? Reading with children supports children to use oral language to create and retell stories. Oral language is foundational to literacy and it helps children to enjoy and experience poetry, stories, and pūrākau, and encourages them to be confident storytellers. Following up by asking questions, explaining in further detail, retelling the story, and reading it again make the process of reading more interactive.

Practice area 4: Using conversation to extend language

This practice area is about teaching through purposeful discussions with children. This means intentionally using language to engage children in challenging activities which encourage them to hear and use language to understand and share ideas, as well as reason with others. Key teacher practices are: a) Making links b) Evaluating c) Testing working theories Why are these important? Teaching through discussions with children allows children to increase their language ability and use language to communicate complex information and engage in problem-solving. Talking together helps children make connections between different concepts and ideas, make evaluative judgements, and test out their ideas about how the world works. These skills are foundational to their ongoing learning.

Practice area 5: Developing positive social communication

This practice area includes providing opportunities for children to learn social ‘norms’ (the ways we tend to talk with each other in social situations) and rules of communication. Positive social communication is both verbal and non-verbal, and will help them to navigate interactions with others in education contexts and beyond. This includes children building skills like changing the words they use, how quietly or loudly they speak, and how they position themselves when they listen and communicate with others. Key teacher practices are: a) Social rules of communication b) Waiting c) Body positioning d) Mirroring e) Gesturing f) Reminding Why are these important? Social communication is an important skillset, and the key to success in a range of life and learning areas. Teaching and modelling how to communicate well with others helps children to be responsive and reciprocal in their interactions (for example, by taking turns to talk and listen). A lot of social communication is picked up through interactions, but deliberate and purposeful teaching is needed too. When teachers role-model good social communication – such as using gestures to complement oral language, eye-contact with a conversational partner, and mirroring body language – children can pick up these unspoken rules and social norms and learn to apply them independently

Alongside the above five practice areas, teachers need four key supports to be in place, to set the foundations for good teaching practice.  

Support 1: Early childhood service leadership and priorities

This support is about prioritising oral language teaching and learning, and making sure that teachers are set up with what they need to deliver good oral language support. This includes service leaders setting clear expectations for teachers, ensuring they have the right tools and resources, arranging staff appropriately, and providing learning opportunities. Service leaders can prioritise professional learning that is specifically about children’s oral language development, so that teachers can increase their knowledge and extend children’s oral language with evidence-based strategies. Key leader practices are: a) Leaders set clear expectations for teaching and learning b) Leaders ensure teachers have the right tools and resources c) Leaders provide appropriate staffing d) Leaders provide opportunities for staff to learn Why are these important? Service leadership and priorities have a powerful influence on the overall quality of early childhood services and the oral language support that happens there. When service leaders share their expectations for teaching and learning oral language in a structured way, it reduces the chance of misunderstandings and ensures a consistent standard of teaching practice across the service.

It is important that – alongside the right professional learning – teachers have the right tools and assessments to use, and time to analyse the data they collect from these. This way, teaching can be informed by tools and assessments to deliberately support and improve children’s oral language skills. Appropriate staffing allows teachers to spend more time focusing on oral language within quality interactions, rather than managing the environment.

Support 2: Teacher knowledge and assessment

Teachers need sufficient knowledge about the development of children’s oral language, to help them observe, monitor, and support children’s progress across the aspects of oral language development. For example, teachers can learn about the different sounds, speech patterns, and other cues that children typically display at different stages of their oral language learning development.

This might include service leaders working to weave together the learning outcomes from Te Whārik i with the New Zealand Curriculum (2007) , to support smooth pathways of teaching and learning between early childhood education services and schools and kura. Key teacher practices are: a) Teachers understand how children’s language develops b) Teachers know the indicators of progress c) Teachers assess children’s progress d) Teachers know how to identify and address language difficulties e) Teachers know strategies for teaching oral language Why are these important? Good teacher knowledge is strongly linked to teacher capability. Teachers need specific knowledge, skills, and supports to be able to support oral language successfully and this learning needs to be developed deliberately over time. When teachers have a good evidence-based understanding of oral language progress indicators, this helps them to recognise evidence of progress within interactions and to adapt their strategies in response. Ongoing professional learning in this key area of teaching should build on the foundations of initial teacher education.

Support 3: Partnership with parents and whānau

Teachers can partner with parents and whānau to create the best learning outcomes for children’s oral language – at the early childhood service and at home. This includes teachers talking with parents and whānau about children’s progress, and sharing resources, observations, and knowledge. ‘Talking’ with parents and whānau refers to findings ways to share information – while it’s ideal to speak with them directly, emails, texts, notebooks etc. can be useful as well. Service leaders and teachers can explore multiple ways to communicate with parents and whānau in ways that work for their community. Key teacher practices are: a) Teachers talk with parents and whānau about children’s progress – at home and early childhood education service b) Teachers share resources, so parents and whānau can support children’s learning at home Why are these important? Partnering closely with parents and whānau promotes consistent practices for children, between home and the service. Teachers can partner with whānau by regularly sharing information about children’s changing interests, needs, and learning outcomes. In this way, family knowledge can be incorporated into teaching and learning practices.

Support 4: Working with specialists

This includes teachers knowing when and how to seek advice from specialists, how to arrange more targeted and intensive support from specialists where needed, and how to work effectively with specialists. To support teachers, service leaders might follow a model of support that involves a speech-language therapist providing professional learning for teachers. Key teacher practices are: a) Teachers know when to refer children to specialists b) Teachers work effectively with specialists Why are these important? Working with specialists allows children the best chance at improving their oral language skills, by having the expertise and knowledge of their teachers supplemented with expert advice and guidance. For the best support, teachers need to know who their local specialists are, know when to talk to a specialist, and be committed and confident to adapt their practice according to specialist advice. Timely support prevents further oral language difficulties that will have ongoing impacts on children’s learning.

Oral language is foundational for children’s ongoing learning, through and beyond their early years. ERO reviewed international and local evidence to find the most powerful practices that teachers can use to support children’s oral language development, setting them up for better outcomes in school and beyond. The five practice areas and four supports outlined in this chapter, and detailed in our companion report Good practice: Oral language development in the early years , have the power to make a real difference to children’s oral language. In the next chapter, we share what ERO found out about how confident ECE and new entrant teachers are in the five key practice areas, and how often they use them.

Teachers in ECE and new entrant classrooms play a critical role in supporting children’s oral language progress. To do this well, teachers need to understand and be confident in their use of the teaching practices that make a difference, embedding them in everyday practice.

In this chapter, we outline what we found out about how confident ECE and new entrant teachers are to support children’s oral language learning, and how often they put good strategies into practice. We also note some key differences in different groups of ECE teachers.

What we did

To understand how well teachers support children’s language development we looked at: → international and local evidence around good teaching practices → our surveys of ECE teachers, new entrant teachers, and parents and whānau → our interviews with ECE teachers, new entrant teachers, and parents and whānau → our observations of practice in ECE services and schools.

This section sets out what we found about: 1) How confident teachers are to support oral language development, across ECE and new entrant classes 2) How often teachers use the five key teaching practices that make the most difference 3) What makes it easier or harder for teachers to use key teaching practices 4) How often teachers use the five key teaching practices by: — teacher professional knowledge and qualification — ECE service type — socio-economic community.

What we found: an overview 

The evidence is clear about the practices that matter for language development, and most teachers report using them frequently. International and Aotearoa New Zealand evidence is clear that the practices that best support the development of oral language skills are:  

ECE and new entrant teachers that we surveyed reported they use these evidence-based practices often. ECE teachers reported that they most often teach new words and how to use them (96 percent), use conversation to extend language (95 percent), and read interactively with children (95 percent). New entrant teachers we surveyed reported they most frequently read interactively with children (99 percent), teach new words and how to use them (96 percent), and model how words make sentences (95 percent).

Teachers’ practices to develop social communication are weaker. 

ECE and new entrant teachers we surveyed both reported to us they develop social communication skills least frequently.

Professional knowledge is the strongest driver of teachers using the evidence based practices. Qualified ECE teachers reported being almost twice as confident in their knowledge about oral language. Qualified ECE teachers we surveyed are almost twice as confident in their knowledge about how oral language develops than non-qualified teachers. Most qualified ECE teachers (94 percent) reported being confident, but only two-thirds (64 percent) of non-qualified teachers reported being confident. Qualified teachers reported more frequently using key practices, for example, using conversation to extend language (96 percent compared with 92 percent of non-qualified teachers). ECE teachers who reported being extremely confident in their professional knowledge of how children’s language develops were up to seven times more likely to report using effective teaching practices regularly.

1) Teachers’ overall confidence 

We asked teachers how confident they are to support children’s oral language development.  

Most teachers are confident to support children’s oral language development.

Overall, 91 percent of ECE teachers and 85 percent of new entrant teachers report they are confident to support children’s oral language development.   

Figure 10 : Proportion of teachers that report they are confident to support oral language development

We heard that some new entrant teachers have seen an increase in lower levels of oral language in their classes, and are building up their practices to respond to this need. ECE teachers shared that, in general, oral language development and support has always been a significant part of their everyday role. This could explain this difference in confidence between ECE and new entrant teachers.

2) How often teachers use the key teaching practices 

We also asked teachers about the teaching practices we know make a difference.   

This section sets out what we know about how often ECE and new entrant teachers report using key teaching practices to develop children’s oral language.  

The teaching practices we look at are:   

Full descriptions of why these practices are important are in Chapter 3 of this report , and expanded on in our companion report: Good Practice: Oral Language Development in the Early Years .  

Our companion report Good Practice: Oral Language in the Development in the Early Years is free to download from www.evidence.ero.nz    

Most teachers often use the key teaching practices. Across the five key practice areas, most teachers report that they use these important practices often in their work with children. There are some practices that are used more consistently than others.

ECE teachers most often use these practices: → Teaching new words and how to use them (96 percent use often) → Reading interactively with children (95 percent use often) → Using conversation to extend language (95 percent use often)

New entrant teaches most often use these practices: → Reading interactively with children (99 percent use often) → Teaching new words and how to use them (96 percent use often) → Modelling how words make sentences (95 percent use often)

Figure 11 : Proportion of teachers who reported they often use key teaching practices  

But some practices aren’t used as consistently.

ECE teachers least often use these practices:  

• Developing positive social communication (8 percent do not use often)  
• Modelling how words make sentences (11 percent do not use often)  

New entrant teachers least often use these practices:  

• Using conversation to extend language (6 percent do not use often)  
• Developing positive social communication (6 percent do not use often)  

The following section looks at each practice in more detail.   

Individual teaching practices  

This section outlines how confident ECE and new entrant teachers report they are to use each of the five teaching practices, and whether they use that practice often.  

a) Teaching new words and how to use them 

Teaching new words and how to use them includes intentionally using words to build a child’s understanding of words (their ‘receptive vocabulary’ or listening skills) and encouraging them to use and apply words in the right context (‘expressive vocabulary’ or speaking skills).  

Of all the practices, ECE teachers most often teach new words and how to use them.  

Most ECE and new entrant teachers report they often teach new words and how to use them (96 percent). Only 4 percent of both teacher groups report that they don’t often do this.   

Figure 12 : How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers teach new words and how to use them  

To support children to learn new words and their meanings, teachers use strategies like naming, labelling, explaining, showing, repetition, and extending. Repeatedly naming and labelling the things children take an interest in helps consolidate new terms in their memory. It also helps children understand that words can mean different things in different contexts.

“If it's a play-based learning environment, they get used to working with other children and they hear other vocabulary. So that's a gifting of vocabulary and practising their oral language skills.” ​ (ECE teacher)  

Teachers use everyday activities and the environment around them to teach children new words.  

Teachers told us they talk about what is in the service or school environment during daily activities with children. We saw teachers intentionally use care routines and meal times as an opportunities to engage in conversations that include labelling things in the children’s view. Teachers shared how they would support children to name, or understand the names of, objects within ‘serve and return’ interactions, pointing to clarify what they are naming. These interactions can stimulate and support oral language, even for infants and non-verbal children.

Teacher support children by modelling correct words after children make errors.  

Teachers told us how they support children to use a more appropriate word when they made a labelling error. Teachers emphasise the correct word when they reply to children – for example, ‘That’s right, you’re going to the library this afternoon’.

Teachers expand vocabulary through repetition of words, and using different words to explain the same concept or idea.

We heard teachers encourage children to repeat new words, helping children to consolidate new vocabulary.

“I said, ‘Well, you can use your words. How could you say it?’ So, if she hasn't got the word, I give her the words and I let her repeat the words.” (ECE teacher)    

Teachers shared that by using different words to explain the same concept or idea they have noticed children become more articulate because they’ve heard how to do describe concepts in a range of ways.

b) Modelling how words make sentences  

Modelling how words make sentences includes intentionally using language to show how words are linked to make sentences (grammar) and providing opportunities for children to practice this in their own speech.

Of all the practices, ECE teachers least often model how words make sentences – one in 10 do not do this often.

Most ECE and new entrant teachers report they often model how words make sentences (89 percent and 95 percent), but some don’t (11 percent and 5 percent).  

Figure 13 : How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers model how words make sentences

Teaching and modelling how words link together can involve using songs, nursery rhymes, and stories.65 When teachers ask children follow-up questions and recap previous learning, this helps consolidate children’s language. In Pacific language services, teachers might engage in talanoa with children to share stories and build language skills. Teachers might also use deliberate strategise to show how sequences and narratives work, and what to expect in a narrative. For example, emphasising words like ‘then’, ‘next’, ‘just before’, or ‘finally’.

Teachers model how to make sentences by asking children questions.   

Teachers told us that asking questions and waiting before giving away the answer gives children time to think and engage with the question, and practice constructing sentences in response.  

“They know that they are expected to speak, but we also give them that prep time beforehand. We do a lot of turning and talking, and so they have that time to turn and talk… And then you know that they've all had that processing time and then they can share.”  (ECE teacher)    

Teachers model how to make sentences when teaching children songs and rhymes.  

We saw teachers introduce songs to children, by talking them through the words of the lyrics, helping them see the way different words rhyme with each other.   

“We have different songs for different seasons… So it's all linked with the rhythm of the earth.” (Leader)   

Teachers also told us about using rhyme when giving instructions, which engages children in repeating sentences in rhyme structures.

“You would not say it, you sing it…in a gentle way… ’Wash the dishes, dry the dishes, turn the dishes over’… You sing songs while you do that… They sing all those songs now too, because they’re used to it.” (Leader)   

Teachers told us it is easier to use good teaching practices when there is explicit planning for oral language development, and they have the resources, time, and knowledge required.

c) Reading interactively with children  

Reading interactively with children encourages children to be active participants during book-reading. Teachers use prompts to encourage interactions and language use between children and the teacher reading the book.  

Most teachers often read interactively with children.  

Most ECE teachers report they often read interactively with children (95 percent). Only 5 percent report they don’t. Nearly all of the new entrant teachers we surveyed report they often read interactively with children (99 percent). Only 1 percent report they don’t do this often.

Figure 14 : How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers read interactively with children

When reading interactively, teachers use strategies like questioning, recalling, expanding, extending, explaining, retelling, and rereading. For example, teachers can ask questions to prompt discussion and encourage children to answer logically using clues from the book and its context – such as the title of the story – and also to answer creatively and use their imagination. Teachers can also intentionally extend on the specific ideas and themes in books to help children verbalise concepts that are familiar to them through stories they have heard or read.

“We got to know that he’s very interested in reading books, so it’s very easy for us to extend his language through reading books and showing the pictures. Now even his mum says that he can understand [English].” (ECE teacher)  

Teachers ask children open-ended questions when reading books to encourage conversation.

We heard that teachers ask children questions about the characters in a new story before reading. Guessing and imagining things about the characters is a way they can talk about the story before the actual storytelling has even begun. Teachers also use pictures within the book to prompt conversations with and between the children listening.

Teachers build children’s vocabulary through books on topics of interest.  

Teachers told us they will read stories that relate to children’s interests, and create activities based on books children are interested in to extend similar ideas and themes. This helps children make connections and add words learnt from books to their own vocabulary.

We also heard about teachers using repeated book reading as an opportunity go into more detail about the story and characters with children, building their vocabulary and narrative capabilities.

Teachers extend language by being intentional about the books they read and make available.   

Teachers told us they make deliberate decisions, that link to their planning discussions, about the books that are displayed in the environment. We also saw a range of environments that are set up to encourage a combination of teacher-led and child-led reading – for example, seating at different levels. Teachers told us that when books are accessible and inviting, children will revisit books regularly on their own, with peers, or with a teacher.   

“Putting less out on the bookshelf but being more intentional about what it is, and leaving it there for a longer period of time, so that children are able to revisit and have those conversations again and develop those ideas further over time… T hat was something that sounds so simple, but it was a really big shift.” (ECE teacher)    

d) Using conversation to extend language  

Using conversation to extend language includes intentionally using language to engage children in activities that are challenging for them. It encourages them to hear and use language to understand and share ideas, reason with others, and explore working theories.

Most ECE and new entrant teachers report they often use conversation to extend language.

Most ECE and new entrant teachers often use conversation to extend language (95 percent and 94 percent), but a small group don’t (5 percent and 6 percent).  

Figure 15 : How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers use conversation to extend language  

Teachers can use conversations to encourage complex, descriptive, and expressive language. Teachers can help children make connections between different concepts and ideas, make evaluative judgements, and test out their ideas about how the world works. For example, intentionally starting conversations about topics that relate to children’s own experiences.

Teachers support children to extend their language through conversation by asking questions.  

We saw teachers start the morning by asking children about their evening or morning, prompting children to make links about the similarities and differences between their experiences. We heard that probing with ‘why’ questions give children an opportunity to think through and articulate their reasoning. Teachers help children unpack their thinking, for example asking, ‘Why do you think that?’   

Teachers support children to extend their language through conversation by encouraging them to share ideas, to talk about being unsure, and to disagree.

We heard that talking about being unsure helps children to feel safer to share their ideas, and to be open to discussing their own and others’ working theories.

“If they don’t have an idea they say, ‘I don’t have an idea’. That’s huge. That’s been a huge learning curve, actually a huge shift to the ‘It’s okay if you don’t know’ – that we all don’t know something.” (New entrant teacher)

We also heard that encouraging children to share and debate their ideas means they are more comfortable voicing their ideas to their peers.

"They’re not afraid to share with their peers, because they know their peers might be like, ‘I disagree with you,’ and that’s okay. That’s been our big one – that’s very powerful.” (New entrant teacher)

e) Developing positive social communication

Developing positive social communication includes social norms and rules of communication – both verbal and non-verbal – which will help children navigate interactions with others in education contexts and beyond. This includes skills like changing the words they use, how quietly or loudly they speak, and how they position themselves when they listen and communicate with others.

Of all the practices, new entrant teachers least often develop positive social communication.

Although most new entrant teachers we surveyed report they often develop positive social communication (94 percent), 6 percent of new entrant teachers report they don’t often do this.

Other than modelling how words make sentences, ECE teachers also least often develop positive social communication. Most ECE teachers do it often (92 percent), but some (8 percent) do not.  

Figure 16: How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers develop positive social communication

This key practice involves establishing and clarifying the social norms, or expectations, of communication with children. For example, clearly and regularly talking about the service’s expectations about how to talk kindly and respectfully to others, or expectations for listening to others. This might include having posters or pictures for children, for example, showing how children can raise their hand to ask a question during group times.

“You can’t separate oral language and social competencies. They all kind of come together… And they complement each other. (ECE teacher)

Teachers told us that it’s easier to develop positive social communication when there are embedded routines and norms at the service.

Teachers talked about using consistent language so children could become familiar with these rules, and having posters or pictures to show how to enact particular ‘rules’ at the service – for example, listening to others or greeting peers.

“They understand what a good listener is, what a good speaker is. It’s being modelled all the time. It’s being encouraged.”  (ECE teacher)

“We see a change in our playground behaviours. We’ve seen a change in children’s wellbeing. They’re actually expressing their feelings and needs… [they’re] actually able to articulate and feel okay about going and articulating to people.” (Leader)

Teachers support positive social communication through explicit discussion.

We saw teachers deliberately discuss and demonstrate wait time and talk about the importance of patience and sharing.

“Introducing the language of sharing. Teaching them the words like ‘wait’, but you have actually got to show them what ‘wait’ means.” (New entrant teacher)

"They’ve done a lot of work on wait time and processing, and now they’re actually giving each other wait time.” (New entrant teacher)

3) Where are the differences in how frequently teachers use the effective teaching practices?

This section sets out what we know about differences in how frequently teachers use the five teaching practices by:

a) teacher professional knowledge and qualification

b) service type.

a) Teacher professional knowledge and qualification

We compared how often qualified and non-qualified ECE teachers use each of the five teaching practices. We also looked at how ECE teachers’ confidence in their professional knowledge about how oral language develops impacts how often they use good teaching practices.

ECE teachers who are extremely confident in their professional knowledge are more likely to use good teaching practices frequently.

Teacher knowledge makes a big difference. Studies indicate that teachers’ self-assessments of their knowledge and ability in areas of teaching – how much they think they know – is connected to their actual practice. This aligns with what we found in our study, when we asked teachers about their confidence in oral language teaching, and how often they report using key oral language practices.

We ran regression analyses of our survey responses, and found ECE teachers who are extremely confident in their professional knowledge of how oral language develops are up to seven times more likely to use key teaching practices frequently.

ECE teachers who are extremely confident in their professional knowledges are:

→ Seven times more likely to develop positive social communication.

→ Six times more likely to use conversation to extend language.

 → Three times more likely to teach new words and how to use them, model how words make sentences, and read interactively with children.

We heard from our interviews with leaders and experts that teacher knowledge is critical. When ECE teachers gain more understanding about the importance of oral language development in the early years and how it can be supported, it is likely they increase the frequency of their teaching practices to support this key area of learning and development.

Qualified ECE teachers are almost one and a half times more confident in their knowledge of oral language development.

Qualified staff make a big difference. An international review of the evidence around this found that ‘higher teacher qualifications are significantly correlated with higher quality early childhood education and care environments’. This aligns with what we found in our study, when we asked teachers about their qualification level as well as their confidence around oral language development. This makes sense, as it’s likely that qualified ECE teachers will have learned about oral language teaching and learning over the course of their initial teacher education, as well as in their ongoing professional learning. Non-qualified teachers will either be partway through completing their teaching qualification, or have not engaged in the initial teacher education process. We also heard that professional learning on the job helps to grow and support professional knowledge, for both qualified and non-qualified teachers.

Qualified ECE teachers reported they are one and a half times more confident in their knowledge about how oral language develops than non-qualified teachers. Most qualified ECE teachers (94 percent) are confident, but only two-thirds (64 percent) of non-qualified teachers are confident.

Figure 17: ECE teachers’ reported confidence in their professional knowledge of how oral language develops, qualified compared with non-qualified teachers

Qualified ECE teachers reported they read interactively with children and use conversation to extend language more often than non-qualified ECE teachers.

Ninety-five percent of qualified ECE teachers reported they often read interactively with children, compared with 92 percent of non-qualified ECE teachers. This is a statistically significant difference. A higher proportion of qualified ECE teachers also reported using conversation to extend language often than non-qualified ECE teachers. (96 percent compared with 92 percent).

b) Service type

We looked at different types of early learning services.

We heard from teachers in kindergartens and education and care services about how often they use teaching practices. While we also heard from home-based services and playcentres, they were removed from the analysis that compared service type, due to low numbers.

We found no significant differences between kindergartens’ and education and care services’ use of teaching practices.

Across both ECE and new entrant settings, teachers are generally using the key practices that support children’s oral language development. However, there is variation in how confident teachers are with these practices, how frequently they use them, and how much they understand about the way that oral language can and should be supported in the early years.

Our study shows that ECE teachers use most practices confidently and frequently, and new entrant teachers are responding to increased need in their classrooms by building their own practice. Developing positive social communication is the practice area where teachers tend to have lower confidence, and use less frequently.

For ECE teachers, we can see that having strong professional knowledge matters, and being qualified makes a difference. These were key drivers for teachers using key practices more confidently and often. The following chapter expands on the supports teachers need to use good teaching practices, and what makes it harder for them.

To do their best work, teachers need to be equipped with the right knowledge, skills, and conditions. There are some key supports that need to be in place, particularly good leadership, a solid base of teacher knowledge, ways to partner with parents and whānau, and access to specialist support such as speech-language therapists.

In this section, we share what good evidence-based supports look like, and what we found out about these reports in Aotearoa New Zealand services and schools.

To understand the supports and barriers for teachers supporting children’s language development, we explored: → what the existing evidence says about good supports for effective teaching practice

 → what these supports look like in our Aotearoa New Zealand context, and across a range of early childhood education service types and regions, and schools

→ what useful insights, strategies, and stories we can gather for the early childhood sector – teachers, service leaders, parents and whānau, and early intervention services. (These are set out in more detail in our companion good practice report.)

This section sets out what we found about

— leadership and priorities (in ECE services)

— professional knowledge to understand and assess oral language development

— partnering with parents and whānau

— working with specialists

— differences by:

•  service type
•  teacher qualification.

What we found: an overview

Teachers and parents and whānau often do not know how well children’s oral language is developing, and this matters as timely support can prevent problems later.

Not all ECE and new entrant teachers are confident to assess progress. Of the new entrant teachers we surveyed, a quarter reported not being confident to assess and report on progress in oral language development. The lack of clear development expectations and indicators of progress, and lack of alignment between Te Whāriki and the New Zealand Curriculum , makes this difficult. Half of parents (53 percent) reported that they do not get information from their ECE service about their child’s oral language progress.

Being able to assess children’s oral language progress and identify potential difficulties is an important part of teaching young children. However, not all ECE and new entrant teachers are confident to identify difficulties in oral language (15 percent of ECE teachers and 24 percent of new entrant teachers surveyed report not being confident).

For children who are struggling, support from specialists, such as speech-language therapists, who can help with oral language development is key. But not all teachers are confident to work with these specialists, with 12 percent of ECE teachers and 17 percent of new entrant teachers reporting not being confident.

ERO identified four supports that that need to be in place for teachers to do their best work in developing oral language. The four supports are:

What these supports look like and why they are important can be found in Chapter 3 of this report, and unpacked in more detail our companion good practice report: Good practice: Oral language development in the early years along with real-life examples that show what these supports can look like in practice.

This support is about early childhood service leaders taking action to support teachers with what they need to deliver good practice for children’s oral language development.

This support includes four elements of good support.

1) Service Leaders set clear expectations for teaching and learning

2) Service Leaders ensure teachers have the right tools and resources

3) Service Leaders provide appropriate staffing

4) Service Leaders provide opportunities for staff to learn

In our interviews and observations, we heard from teachers and leaders, and observed how well these elements of support are going in ECE services.

Many leaders clarify their expectations for key teaching practices at the service.

We found that oral language is a priority for many services. Leaders shared that, in their experience, teachers benefit from clear expectations as soon as they join the team about ‘what good looks like’ in this area of teaching and why it is so important. We also heard that linking oral language outcomes to the service’s philosophy statements can help get buy-in from teachers.

We found that it is harder to prioritise oral language development when there is no clarity around why it is important, and when teachers don’t have sufficient time to focus on oral language learning and planning.

"When we first bring people into our service, it [good oral language support] is not embedded in practice. It can be quite a journey, through PLD and building their practice.” (Leader)

“We have a huge buy-in from the teachers. The teachers want to learn. They know that this is a centre that prioritises that.” (Leader)

Leaders provide tools and resources, but teachers need more clarity around which resources they should use and when.

We found that many leaders provide tools and resources to help teachers with their oral language teaching practice. We heard about the importance of teachers being provided with the right tools and assessments to use, good training to implement them as intended, and time to analyse the data they collect from these. This way, teaching can be informed by tools and assessments that purposefully support and improve children’s oral language skills.

“Sometimes it used to feel awkward talking to the children and not getting the language back. And throughout that [professional learning] workshop, I guess it helped overcome these sorts of barriers, because you know that you are using this strategy that is researched and proven to work.” (ECE teacher)

However, we also heard that having too many resources available without clear guidance about them is creating some confusion, where teachers don’t know which ones to use for what purpose. Teachers benefit from professional learning around tools and resources to understand the ‘how and why’ of them.

Higher teacher-child ratios can present challenges for teachers.

In our interviews and open-ended survey responses, teachers and leaders told us that the most challenging aspect of staffing is having teacher-child ratios that support teachers to develop children’s oral language. The issue that came through most strongly was an inability to have one-on-one conversations with children, due to the demands of higher ratios.

“High ratios mean one-on-one opportunities are limited. So, children who are in need of more interactions must contend with groups of children getting the same attention.” (ECE teacher)

“Quality one-to-one time to interact and assess and support language is challenging.” (ECE teacher)

Evidence shows that unhurried interactions between teachers and a small number of children, which are sustained for more than just a few minutes, are highly effective for supporting children’s oral language development. Service leaders can support teachers to do this through rostering and arranging staff to enable some smaller, slower-paced interactions alongside larger group activities.

“Part of our curriculum that allows them to have…that time in the centre where they're in a small group of children with a shared interest or a shared learning experience happening… And the teacher is dedicated to those children at that time… That teacher is really there to give their full attention to those children – and I think that's quite important in a busy space.” (Leader)   

Where leaders provide oral language learning opportunities, there is a positive impact on staff motivation and practice.  

We found that teachers and leaders that had engaged with oral language professional learning and development (PLD) had strengthened their commitment to putting good practices into action.  

“I’ve actually seen great results... I’ve got one child in the toddlers’ room that’s really keen to speak, and he keeps repeating everything we say. [He’s] really determined to use the language. He would point at his shoes and say, ‘On the shelf, up, up there, up there’. Then from this… I’d give him extra words and a week later he would say, ‘My shoes, they are up there’ – which was incredible.” (ECE teacher)

“We had a lot of PLD for all of our teachers, on how to integrate poetry and music and rhythm and rhyme. There’s lots of instruments and different materials, which was really nice.” (ECE teacher)

We also heard from some services that PLD was difficult to find or access, which made learning provision harder.  

Support 2: Teacher understanding and assessment of oral language development

This support is about teachers having sufficient knowledge about the development of children’s oral language, to help them observe and monitor children’s progress across the aspects of oral language development.  

This includes teachers understanding how children’s language develops, knowing about indicators of progress, assessing children’s progress, knowing how to identify and address minor language difficulties, and knowing strategies for teaching oral language. For example, teachers can learn about the different sounds, speech patterns, and other cues that children typically display at different stages of their oral language learning development. They can then carry this knowledge with them in their everyday interactions, using this knowledge to make informed in-the-moment decisions about how to extend children's oral language learning through play.

There are five elements of good support.  

1) Teachers understand how children’s language develops  

2) Teachers know the indicators of progress  

3) Teachers assess children’s progress  

4) Teachers know how to identify and address language difficulties  

5) Teachers know strategies for supporting children’s oral language  

In our surveys and interviews, we asked about:

→ teachers’ confidence in their professional knowledge of oral language development

→ teachers’ confidence to assess and report on progress, and to identify language difficulties.

Most teachers are confident in their professional knowledge of oral language development, but one in 10 ECE teachers and one in five new entrant teachers are not confident.

We asked teachers about their confidence in their professional knowledge about how children’s oral language develops. Most are confident (91 percent of ECE teachers and 83 percent of new entrant teachers we surveyed). But one in 10 ECE teachers (9 percent) and one in six new entrant teachers (17 percent) are not confident.

Figure 18 : ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence in their professional knowledge about how children’s oral language develops

Most ECE teachers and new entrant teachers are confident in their knowledge related to the age group of children they teach, but one in 10 are not confident.

We asked ECE teachers about their confidence in their knowledge of oral language development expectations for the age group they teach. Most are confident (87 percent of ECE teachers and 90 percent of new entrant teachers), but more than one in 10 teachers (13 percent of ECE teachers and 10 percent of new entrant teachers) are not confident.

Figure 19 : ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence in their knowledge of oral language development expectations for the age group they teach  

We also heard that new entrant teachers are finding that more children are coming to their classes with lower oral language levels (see Chapter 2 of this report). It may be useful for new entrant teachers to grow their understanding of not just their age group’s expectations, but the expectations below that age as well. A lack of alignment between Te Whāriki and the New Zealand Curriculum may make this more difficult.  

Most teachers report they are confident to assess and report on ora l language progress, however a significant proportion do not feel confident to identify difficulties in oral language development.  

We asked teachers how confident they are to assess and report on the progress of children’s oral language development. Most ECE teachers report they are confident to assess and report on children’s progress (89 percent), but one in 10 report they are not confident (11 percent).  

Concerningly, one-quarter (25 percent) of new entrant teachers we surveyed report they are not confident to assess and report on progress of oral language development.  

Figure 20 : ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence to assess and report on the progress of children’s oral language development  

We also asked ECE teachers and new entrant teachers how confident they are to identify difficulties in oral language development. ECE teachers are least confident in this area of their knowledge. Although most ECE teachers report they are confident to identify difficulties in children’s oral language development (85 percent), a concerning proportion report they are not confident (15 percent). One in four new entrant teachers report they are not confident (24 percent).

Figure 21: ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence to identify difficulties in children’s oral language development

Understanding how to assess oral language progress is an important part of identifying language difficulties. Increasing knowledge about assessing progress would also support more teachers to identify possible language difficulties more confidently.  

We know that new entrant teachers are noticing more children have oral language needs in their classrooms than previously (see Chapter 2 of this report), so it is increasingly important that they are provided with the knowledge and tools that they need to grow their confidence in this key area of practice.   

Teachers benefit from clear messages around the purpose and usefulness of assessment.  

We found that some ECE teachers are reluctant to engage in assessment practice around oral language, as they are worried about ‘labelling’ children or ‘focusing on the deficit’. We heard that it is useful for leaders and guiding documents to clarify how and why assessments are used, and that they are intended to inform teachers’ practice and responses. Many services saw positive changes when team discussions had focused on discussing concerns and clarifying that assessments “aren’t about labelling children” (Service leader), but about knowing how to tailor their teaching for children based on evidence of what works best for those children.

We also heard that teachers had ‘aha moments’ when they thought carefully about individual children and what they could observe and hear (assess) about their oral language capabilities. Reflection and discussion about this helped teachers to understand their key role in noticing where children are, recognising their strengths and needs, and the importance of responding with intentional teaching.

“My first reaction was, because I came from primary, ‘Oh no, you're going to do a testing regime for early childhood’… Because early childhood is so encompassing, and you don't just look at one thing, you look at everything and everything is together… But then when we sat down with our other teachers… We didn't realise how each child actually was, because sometimes you think you know a child and then when you're sitting down and you think, ‘Do they actually ever rhyme? Do they actually ever have deep conversations about anything?’… That was actually eye-opening.” (ECE teacher)   

“[During professional learning] there were some groundbreaking things she said to us like, ‘Think about the particular child you're working with and really take the time to analyse their current language level’.” ​​ (Leader)   

“We track carefully how the children are going and so we can reflect on what are we doing that's working and what are we doing that's not working, what can we tweak?” (New entrant teacher)  

We also heard assessing and reporting on children’s progress is easier when teachers can learn through their peers and are provided with structured tools for assessment, including ways to understanding what progress looks like for multilingual children. For example, teachers can consider whether their concerns about a child’s oral language is present in their first language as well as the language of instruction – they will develop at different paces, and that’s normal and expected.

Difficulties in oral language are not always identified and addressed early enough.

New entrant teachers report that children don’t always get the support they need early enough to address oral language difficulties. We heard that this is caused by a combination of limited teacher knowledge about how to identify potential language difficulties and when to seek support, as well as difficulties with the referral and support processes.

“There is little support coming through from ECE. Early Intervention are closing cases before starting school which leads to less support in the transition coming to school. [There is a] backlog of cases and they are not receiving the outside support they need.” (New entrant teacher)  

Professional learning can have positive impacts on teacher knowledge about assessment and identifying language difficulties.

We found that when teachers understand how oral language develops, they can be more mindful about the strategies they use in response to what they notice about a child’s skills and progress. For example, teachers told us that they have started to deliberately make an effort to watch out for children that aren’t using words, and not assuming that they are simply quiet or shy.

This support is about teachers partnering with parents and whānau to ensure consistency across home and ECE (or school) environments.  

The two evidence-based elements of good support are based in ECE contexts (but are also relevant to new entrant teachers).

1) Teachers talk with parents and whānau about children’s progress – at home and at the ECE service (or school)

2) Teachers share resources, so parents and whānau can support children’s learning at home

→ how often teachers report they communicate with parents and whānau to support oral language development

→ for parents and whānau, whether their child’s early learning service shows them ways to support oral language development at home and helps then understand what that development looks like for their child.

a) ECE teachers and new entrant teachers  

We asked ECE teachers and new entrant teachers how often they communicate and partner with parents and whānau to support oral language development.  

One in six ECE teachers and new entrant teachers report they do not often partner with parents and whānau to support oral language development.

Although most ECE teachers (84 percent) and new entrant teachers (83 percent) report they often communicate with parents and whānau about oral language, one in six do not do this often (16 percent of ECE teachers and 17 percent on new entrant teachers).

Figure 22 : How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers partner with parents and whānau  

We heard that some ECE teachers find it difficult to communicate and partner with families and whānau when they have little face-to-face contact time (e.g., rushed pick-ups and drop-offs). However, we also heard from services who have found a range of ways to communicate about learning with families, for example, through online portals, text messages, phone calls, and notebooks.

Good relationships with parents and whānau make difficult conversations easier.

We heard that having a ‘key teacher’ building an ongoing relationship with parents and whānau made it easier to approach tricky conversations about how a child’s oral language development was going. We heard that these conversations can be ‘scary’ for parents and whānau, and teachers can be nervous about these conversations too.

“We would talk to the parents about what things look like at home and grow the areas that we believe need a bit of support, but it's all very gentle because parents are always very worried.” ​ (ECE teacher)   

Some ECE services share their professional knowledge with parents and whānau.  

We heard from services about sharing what they have learned through PLD with parents and whānau. For example, sharing key resources or having a parent and whānau evening that focused on oral language development.

“Our service is currently working with Talking Matters [an organisation that provides spoken language resources and PLD for parents and whānau and ECE teachers], and we have learnt a number of talking tips and shared these with whānau.” (ECE teacher)  

“When a parent can reinforce what happened at the [service], [and] when we can reinforce what happened at home straight away, that's the most effective way.” ​ (ECE teacher)   

b) Parents and whānau

We also asked parents and whānau about their experiences with their child’s early learning service. We asked if their child’s early learning service shows them ways to support their child’s oral language development at home, and whether they help them understand what oral development looks like for their child.

Only half of parents and whānau agree their child’s early learning service shows them ways to support their child’s oral language development at home.

Half of parents and whānau agree their child’s early learning service shows them ways to support their child’s oral language development at home (51 percent). Just over one-quarter disagree (27 percent), and one-fifth (21 percent) don’t know.

Figure 23: Parents and whānau response to ‘my child’s early learning service shows me ways to support my child’s oral language development at home’  

Similarly, only half of parents and whānau agree their child’s early learning service helps them understand what oral language development looks like for their child. 

Half of parents and whānau agree their child’s early learning service helps them understand what oral language development looks like for their child (53 percent). Over one-quarter disagree (28 percent), and one-fifth (19 percent) don’t know.   

Figure 24: Parent and whānau response to ‘my child’s early learning service helps me understand what oral language development looks like for my child’  

This is a concerning finding, as 84 percent of ECE teachers report that they often communicate with parents and whānau to support oral language development. This tells us that there is a gap between what teachers and parents believe is happening.

Good communication about clear indicators of progress helps parents to engage in oral language support.

Parents and whānau told us that information from ECE services is most useful when it includes clear messages about their child’s progress and next steps, linked to development expectations and their aspirations.

“Earlier this year, I had some concerns about a stutter developing, but thanks to the teachers at the kindergarten [my child] attends I was better able to understand this developmental stage and how to support my child. The stutter stage was short-lived, and we are in a good place now.” (Parent/whānau)   

“The learning stories about my child on [online portal] always refer to an aspect of my child’s oral language development. We were asked early in the year about our aspirations as parents, for our child, and I had expressed that her ability to communicate and express herself was an area we wanted to see her continuing to develop in. In a recent learning story, her early childhood centre had set up a library play provocation where she was exploring different books and using words to communicate the pictures she could identify.” (Parent/whānau)   

Support 4: Working with specialists  

This support is about teachers working together with specialists, such as speech-language therapists, to provide the best oral language support for children. There are two elements of good support for this area.

a) Teachers know when to refer children to specialists

b) Teachers work effectively with specialists

In our surveys and interviews, we asked about: → how confident teachers are to work with specialists.

a) ECE teachers and new entrant teachers

Most teachers are confident to work with specialists who support oral language development, but one in 10 ECE teachers and almost one in five new entrant teachers are not confident. Although most ECE teachers report they are confident to work with specialists (88 percent), one in 10 (12 percent) report they are not confident.

Most new entrant teachers report they are confident to work with specialists (83 percent), while almost one-fifth (17 percent) report they are not confident.

Figure 25 : ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence to work with specialists  

We heard from ECE leaders that some teachers may not have had opportunities to work directly with specialists, as often leaders or particular ‘key teachers’ will do the bulk of the contact with therapists and other experts.

Some schools have curriculum leaders or learning support leaders who work directly with specialists and then pass on strategies and guidance to teaching staff - which could mean that some new entrant teachers have had limited experience working directly with specialists and don’t feel as confident.

Teachers need clear guidance on referral timelines and pathways, and good working relationships with local specialists.

We found it is easier when teachers can follow an established process for referring children to specialists. This can include staff discussions, engaging in targeted observations, and gathering evidence.

“That's the teacher saying, ‘Hey… We've got a child here who we find has got some type of speech delay. Let's try and get a speech therapist straight away... I find the teachers here very supportive.” ​ (Teacher aide)   

It helps when teachers, leaders, and families can be in regular contact with local specialists to get advice and to tailor resources.

“With [children’s] speech delays, it was a lot of observations at first ... We had some formal partnerships, so we immediately communicated our concerns and our observations of speech delays and other behavioural delays from these children.” (ECE teacher)    

“Really good relationship with the Ministry speech-language therapist. I had asked her to come in and do some PLD on Te Kōrerorero.” ​ (ECE teacher)   

“The specialists will work with the families on site, and then the families will share with us what strategies we should use in the classroom. So, the families are kind of holding the knowledge – the power.” (Leader)  

Long wait times for specialists make it harder to support children’s oral language development. `

In some areas there are long waits between referrals to specialists and the child receiving support. We heard about a common sentiment that there is ‘no point’ in referring due to the problem not being ‘bad enough to qualify’, or being put off by the long wait times.

“With children we feel have speech delays or behavioural/learning delays, we usually start off by doing the ABC charts. We do that over a course of a week…We have to do the groundwork ourselves to provide [the Ministry] with the evidence that it’s really concerning.” (ECE teacher)   

We heard examples about services that have learning support leaders who have the specialist expertise to screen children and help with oral language development strategies while they were waiting to see a specialist. In some cases, parents and whānau choose to take their child to a private provider, which has associated costs, to avoid long waiting times.

1) Where are the differences?   

A) differences by ece service type .

Fifteen percent of teachers in kindergartens report that they are not confident to assess and report on progress of oral language development. Eighty-five percent report they are confident.   

Only 7 percent of teachers in education and care services report they are not confident to assess and report on the progress of oral language development. Ninety-three percent report they are confident.   

Figure 26 : ECE teachers’ reported confidence to assess and report progress of children’s oral language development – the difference between teachers in education and care and kindergarten  

Teachers in kindergartens are less confident to communicate and partner with parents and whānau than teachers in education and care.

Most teachers are confident to communicate and partner with parents and whānau, but one in 10 teachers in kindergartens report they are not confident (11 percent). Eighty-nine percent report they are confident.   

A smaller proportion of teachers in education and care services report they are not confident to communicate and partner with parents and whānau (6 percent). Ninety-four percent report they are confident.   

Figure 27 : ECE teachers’ reported confidence to partner with parents and whānau – the difference between teachers in kindergarten and education and care

b) Differences by qualification

International studies find that qualified ECE staff, in the most effective settings, make more curriculum-related activities available to children, provide the most instruction, are most effective in their interactions with children, and encourage children to engage in challenging play.

We found that qualified ECE teachers are more confident in their professional knowledge than non-qualified teachers, and generally report they are more confident in their knowledge of children’s oral language development.

Higher confidence in qualified teachers is likely to be related to the learning that has occurred through their initial teacher education programmes, which will generally cover oral language development. Non-qualified teachers will either be partway through completing their teaching qualification, or have not engaged in the initial teacher education process. We also heard that professional learning on the job helps to grow and support professional knowledge, for both qualified and non-qualified teachers.

Qualified teachers report they are more confident to identify difficulties in children’s oral language development - only two-thirds of non-qualified teachers are confident.  

Qualified teachers report they are more confident to identify difficulties in children’s oral language than non-qualified teachers. Most teachers that are qualified report they are confident (87 percent), but only two-thirds of non-qualified teachers are confident (67 percent).

Figure 28 : ECE teachers’ confidence to identify difficulties in children’s oral language – the difference between qualified and non-qualified teachers  

Qualified ECE teachers report they are more confident to work with specialists than non-qualified ECE teachers.

Most qualified ECE teachers feel confident to work with specialists (90 percent), but one in 10 report they are not confident (10 percent). Most concerningly, three in 10 non-qualified ECE teachers report they are not confident to work with specialists (30 percent).

Figure 29: ECE teachers’ reported confidence to work with specialists – the difference between qualified and non-qualified teachers  

This lower confidence could be because working directly with specialists is delegated to more experienced or qualified colleagues, meaning that non-qualified teachers have more limited experience working with specialists to draw from.

Teachers need to have the right supports in place to effectively promote children’s oral language development and progress through good practices. There are some key supports that need to be in place - particularly good leadership and priorities a solid base of teacher knowledge, ways to partner with parents and whānau, and access to specialist support.

We found that many services and schools have good supports in place to enable their teachers to do their best work. However there is room for improvement in the provision of focused professional learning for all teachers (including non-qualified ECE teachers), clear and shared messages about what oral language progress looks like for teachers and families, and more consistent understandings of when and how to seek specialist support.

The next chapter outlines ERO’s findings and recommendations from our evaluation.

The five questions we asked for this evaluation have led to 18 key findings that sit across this work. Based on these findings, we have identified five areas for action, which together have the potential to improve children’s oral language development in Aotearoa New Zealand. This section sets out our findings, areas for action, and recommendations for improvement.   

This evaluation looks at the current state of oral language in the early years and what can be done to improve children’s oral language. Across this work, we answer five key questions.

1) What is the current level of oral language development (for 0 to 7-year-olds)?

2) What impact has Covid-19 had?

3) How can ECE support oral language development and what does good practice look like?

 4) How well are teachers in ECE and new entrant classes supporting oral language development?

 5) What could strengthen oral language development in ECE?

Our evaluation led to 18 key findings 

Finding 1: Oral language is critical for later literacy and education outcomes. It also plays a key role in developing key social-emotional skills that support behaviour. Children’s vocabulary at age 2 is strongly linked to their literacy and numeracy achievement at age 12, and delays in oral language in the early years are reflected in poor reading comprehension at school.

Most children’s oral language is developing well, but there is a significant group of children who are behind and Covid-19 has made this worse.

Finding 2: A large Aotearoa New Zealand study found 80 percent of children at age 5 are doing well, but 20 percent are struggling with oral language. ECE and new entrant teachers also report that a group of children are struggling and more than half of parents and whānau report their child has some difficulty with oral language in the early years.

Finding 3: Covid-19 has had a significant impact. Nearly two-thirds of teachers (59 percent of ECE teachers and 65 percent of new entrant teachers) report that Covid-19 has impacted children’s language development. Teachers told us that social communication was particularly impacted by Covid-19, particularly language skills for social communication. International studies confirm the significant impact of Covid-19 on language development.

Children from low socio-economic communities and boys are struggling the most.

Finding 4: Evidence both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally is clear that children from lower socio-economic communities are more likely to struggle with oral language skills. We found that new entrant teachers we surveyed in schools in low socio-economic communities were nine times more likely to report children being below expected levels of oral language. Parents and whānau with lower qualifications were also more likely to report their child has difficulty with oral language.

Finding 5: Both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, boys have more difficulty developing oral language than girls. Parents and whānau we surveyed reported 70 percent of boys are not at the expected development level, compared with 56 percent of girls.

Finding 6: Teachers and parents and whānau report more concerns about children being behind as they become older and start school. For example, 56 percent of parents and whānau report their child has difficulty as a toddler (aged 18 months to 3 years old), compared to over two-thirds of parents and whānau (70 percent) reporting that their child has difficulty as a preschooler (aged 3 to 5).

Quality ECE makes a difference, particularly to children in low socio-economic communities, but they attend ECE less often.

Finding 9: Children from low socio-economic communities attend ECE for fewer hours than children in high socio-economic areas, which can be due to a range of factors.

Finding 10: International and Aotearoa New Zealand evidence is clear that the practices that best support the development of oral language skills are:

Finding 11: ECE and new entrant teachers we surveyed reported they use these evidence-based practices often. ECE teachers reported that they most often teach new words and how to use them (96 percent), use conversation to extend language (95 percent), and read interactively with children (95 percent). New entrant teachers we surveyed reported they most frequently read interactively with children (99 percent), teach new words and how to use them (96 percent), and model how words make sentences (95 percent).

Finding 12: ECE and new entrant teachers we surveyed both reported to us they develop social communication skills least frequently.

Professional knowledge is the strongest driver of teachers using evidence[1]based good practices. Qualified ECE teachers reported being almost twice as confident in their knowledge about oral language.

Finding 13: Qualified ECE teachers we surveyed reported being almost twice as confident in their knowledge about how oral language develops than non-qualified teachers. Most qualified ECE teachers (94 percent) reported being confident, but only two-thirds (64 percent) of non-qualified teachers reported being confident.

Finding 14: Qualified teachers reported using key practices more frequently, for example, using conversation to extend language (96 percent compared with 92 percent of non-qualified teachers).

Finding 15: ECE teachers who reported being extremely confident in their professional knowledge of how children’s language develops were up to seven times more likely to report using effective teaching practices regularly.

Teachers and parents often do not know how well their children are developing and this matters as timely support can prevent problems later.

Finding 16: Not all ECE and new entrant teachers are confident to assess oral language progress. Of the new entrant teachers we surveyed, a quarter reported not being confident to assess and report on progress. The lack of clear development expectations and milestones, and lack of alignment between Te Whāriki and the New Zealand Curriculum, makes this difficult. Half of parents and whānau (53 percent) do not get information from their service about their child’s oral language progress.

Finding 17: Being able to assess children’s oral language progress and identify potential difficulties is an important part of teaching young children. However, not all ECE and new entrant teachers are confident to identify difficulties in oral language (15 percent of ECE teachers and 24 percent of new entrant teachers surveyed report not being confident).

Finding 18: For children who are struggling, support from specialists, such as speech-language therapists, who can help with oral language development is key. But not all teachers are confident to work with these specialists, with 12 percent of ECE teachers and 17 percent of new entrant teachers reporting not being confident.

Areas for action

ERO has identified five areas to support children’s oral language development.  

We have identified five key areas of action to better support children’s oral language development. Together, these areas of action can help address the oral language challenges children face.

Appendix 1: Oral language development - previous ERO findings

In 2017, ERO found the following:

→ To support oral language, leaders and teachers in early learning services need to know how children’s oral language develops, recognise the fundamental ways the curriculum can promote rich oral language learning, and use deliberate teaching strategies.

→ Professional and pedagogical leadership was critical in building capability/ capacity of teachers to promote and support children’s oral language.

→ Improvements were needed in many early learning services to support oral language, including:

• leadership capability to support teachers to design and implement effective curriculum for oral language
• evaluating the impact of practices/strategies on improving oral language outcomes
• capitalising on ‘home languages’ as foundation for other language learning
• being prompt and proactive where concerns are identified about children’s oral language learning and development.

ERO recommended that leaders and teachers in early learning services and schools should:

→ use resources to evaluate the extent to which their curriculum strengthens overall oral language learning and provides evidence of children’s progress and achievement

→ make better use of existing resources to promote and support children’s oral language learning

→ use assessment approaches and tools, based on shared understandings and expectations for oral language learning, to notice, recognise, and respond to the linguistic strengths and needs of all learners

→ offer rich, broad learning opportunities to support children’s oral language learning and enable them to develop oral language capabilities foundational to their learning across the curriculum.

ERO recommended that the Ministry of Education should develop a more coherent and systematic set of curriculum expectations, assessment tools, and resources for oral language in the early years (0-8 years) to support children’s learning across the curriculum.

Appendix 2: Methodology

ERO used a mixed-method approach to explore how well children are developing oral language, key teaching practices in use by teachers to develop oral language, and how well teachers are supported. This report draws on survey data, site visits to schools, as well as the voices of teachers, ECE leaders, parents and whānau, speech-language therapists, and sector experts.

This section covers:

→ ECE teachers survey

→ new entrant teachers survey

→ parents and whānau survey

→ site visits and interviews

→ limitations.

ERO used a mixed-method approach to explore how well children are developing oral language, key teaching practices in use by teachers to develop oral language, and how well teachers are supported. We collected both qualitative and quantitative data. The target population was ECE teachers, new entrant teachers, new entrant teacher aides, ECE and school leaders, and parents and whānau. We also talked to experts. Data was collected through reviews of literature, surveys, administrative data, site visits, and interviews.

When designing both survey and interview questions, we undertook an in-depth review of literature on evidence-based teaching practices for supporting children’s oral language development in the early years (including Education Endowment Foundation research).

Quantitative survey analysis Quantitative data was statistically analysed using STATA and Excel software. Differences between groups were identified through non-parametric statistical tests. Non-responses and ‘don’t know’ responses were excluded from response totals when calculating percentages and running statistical tests. Numbers and percentages are rounded to the nearest full number, except where rounding errors lead to incorrect totals. In these instances, the numbers are rounded to minimise rounding error.

Qualitative analysis

Qualitative data were analysed by an experienced team. All focus groups were recorded, and extensive notes were taken. Following each focus group, interviewers immediately sorted information into predetermined domains (adjusting and creating more as needed), and useful quotes were identified and documented from verbatim records.

Review of good practice literature

As part of developing our practice areas and key practices, we reviewed the local and international literature on good practice for supporting children’s oral language development. This included meta-analysis research conducted by the Education Endowment Foundation. Our refined practice areas are the result of combining the analysis of the literature, with input from experts. These practice areas formed the framework for sorting and analysing our site visit and focus group data into collections of ‘real-life strategy’ examples.

Sense-making

Following analysis of the data from the surveys and focus groups, sense-making discussions were conducted to test interpretation of the results, findings, and recommendations with:

→ ERO specialists in reviewing school practice

→ the project’s Expert Advisory Group, made up of sector experts

→ the project’s Steering Group.

We then tested and refined the findings and recommendations with the following organisations to ensure they were useful and practical:

→ Ministry of Education

→ Peak bodies e.g., NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Parents and whānau survey

ERO conducted three surveys using Survey Monkey. The surveys collected both quantitative and qualitative information, and were in the field from 1 November 2023 to 12 January 2024 (spanning parts of Term 4 and the term break).

ECE and new entrant teacher surveys

We emailed 600 ECE services asking them to share the survey link with their teachers. We had a total of 306 responses from ECE teachers. At the same time, we also emailed 400 primary school principalsu to share the survey with their new entrant teachers. We also called school principals to boost answers to the new entrant teacher survey. We had a total of 105 new entrant teacher participants. No weighting was applied to the responses of ECE and new entrant teachers.

We emailed 600 ECE services, asking them to share the parents and whānau survey link with families in their weekly newsletter. We had a total of 540 parents and whānau participants. No weighting was applied to the responses of parents and whānau.

Site visits

ECE services and schools displaying good teaching practice for oral language development were identified and recommended by expert ERO Review Officers and Evaluation Partners, to create a short-list for site visits and interviews. ECE services and schools were then contacted and recruited by the research team.

We conducted site visits to classrooms in 10 ECE services and six primary schools between 10 October 2023 and 26 January 2024 (spanning parts of Term 4 and the term break). Site visits were always undertaken in pairs. Different combinations of team members conducted site visits, following a set protocol which included notes on:

→ the activity conducted by the teacher

→ what the teacher was doing during the activity

→ the teaching practices used during the activity

→ what resources were being used in the activity

→ which resources were accessible to children

→ the layout of the learning environment

→ what the classroom environment looked like

→ documents available for children to review or revisit their learning.

Qualitative information from observations during site visits was analysed using thematic analysis. Teaching practices were coded based on areas of good teaching practice for oral language development in the early years, as defined by the Education Endowment Foundation.

→ Teaching and modelling vocabulary

→ Teaching and modelling language

→ Interactive reading

→ Teaching through collaborative talk

→ Teaching and modelling social communication skills

Teaching practices observed during site visits were used to illustrate examples of good teaching practice.

We conducted interviews between 10 October 2023 and 26 January 2024 (spanning parts of Term 4 and the term break) with:

→ eight ECE leaders

→ eight school leaders

→ 35 ECE teachers

→ ten new entrant teachers

→ seven new entrant teacher aides

→ 15 parents and whānau participants.

Interviews were held in person or over the phone and run as flexible, semi-structured discussions. Participants were invited to take part in interviews when ERO staff conducted site visits. Interviews always included two ERO staff. Participants consented their participation to the interview via email and by submitting a written consent form to ERO. Their verbal consent was also sought to record their interview.

Interviews with ECE and school staff focused on:

→ learning environment

→ teacher capability on oral language development

→ teaching practice on oral language development (including narrative assessment)

→ working with parents and whānau or service

→ working with specialists

 → Covid-19 impact on oral language

→ challenges to practice on oral language development

→ recommendations to practice on oral language development.

Interviews with school staff also included a question about children’s transition from ECE services to school. Interviews with parents and whānau focused on:

→ the oral language development of their child

→ practices used by parents and whānau to develop oral language

→ information and knowledge on oral language development provided by their child’s ECE service

 → whether parents and whānau had any concerns about their child’s oral language development

 → Covid-19 impact on their child’s oral language

→ whether parents and whānau were satisfied with how teachers supported their child’s oral language development.

Qualitative information from interviews was analysed using thematic analysis. Teaching practices were coded based on areas of good teaching practice for oral language development in the early years, as defined by the Education Endowment Let’s keep talking: Oral language development in the early years 93 Foundation (EEF). Quotes from interviews were used to illustrate examples of good teaching practice. Quotes from interviews were used to illustrate examples of good teaching practice.  

Information and consent 

All interview participants were informed of the purpose of the evaluation before they agreed to participate. Participants were informed that:   

→ participation was voluntary and could be withdrawn at any time

→ permission to use their information could be withdrawn at any time

→ this evaluation was not an evaluation of their individual service or school, and their service or school would not be identified in the resulting national report

→ their information was confidential and would be kept securely subject to the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982, Privacy Act 1993, and the Public Records Act 2005 on the release and retention of information.

Limitations

As with all research, there are some limitations to our methodology and methods.  

In terms of scope, this research: → does not examine development on other oral languages than English → does not explore literacy → does not include children’s views on their oral language development → does not focus on primary school classes other than new entrant classes → does not include Kōhanga Reo, Māori-medium services or schools, Te Kura, and secondary schools.

In terms of the data collection:

→ ECE and new entrant teacher surveys: Initially, we did not include a question in the survey which enabled us to calculate the socio-economic level of the school in which ECE teachers and new entrant teachers worked. Due to this limitation, only 47 percent of ECE teachers and 56 percent of the new entrant teachers were assigned an EQI band or quartile. Thus, analyses including EQI are based on the answers of 144 ECE teachers and 59 new entrant teachers.

→ Parents and whānau survey: The majority of parents who responded to the survey were mothers (92 percent) who had a university or postgraduate degree (64 percent). In line with international evidence, a larger percentage of parents with a lower qualification reported that their child has ‘at least some difficulty’ with their oral language. This finding suggests that analyses could be biased towards a more positive view on oral language development as 64 percent of parents had a university or postgraduate degree.

→ Site visits: We were mainly interested in finding out what was working well for ECE services and new entrant classes in developing oral language during the early years. To gather examples of strategies that work, we intentionally went to services and schools that were known to be doing this well. This meant that the qualitative data we collected in observations was not representative of all services’ and schools’ experiences.

→ Interviews: It is also possible participants provided socially desirable responses in the interviews. We mitigated this risk by ensuring that all data would be treated confidentially, and no identifiable information would be disclosed.

Appendix 3: ECE teacher survey Demographic questions

1) Where are you currently teaching? (tick all that apply)

• Kindergarten
• Home-based service
• Education and care service
• Bilingual service

2) Which region do you work in? [region drop-down options]

3) Are you a qualified ECE teacher?

4) Please select the ethnic group(s) with which you identify. (Tick all that apply) New Zealand European/ Pākehā 

• Cook Island Māori 
• Other Pacific 
• Other Asian 
• Other European 
• Middle Eastern 
• Latin American 
• Don’t know 
• Prefer not to say 

5) Which languages do you speak? (Please tick all that apply)  

• Te Reo Māori 
• Northern Chinese 
• Fiji Hindi 
• Other (please specify)

6) Which languages do you speak with children in your service? (Please tick all that apply)  

• Other (please specify)  

7) Are you:

• Gender diverse 

8) Which age group of children do you most often work with? (Tick all that apply)

• 0 - 18 months 
• 18 - 36 months (1.5 - 3 years old) 
• 3 - 5 years old 

Oral language questions about children aged 0-18 months 9) Approximately what percentage of children (0 - 18 months) you work with most often are not meeting Oral Language development expectations?

• Less than a quarter of the children (25% or less)
• About half of the children (50%)
• Most of the children (75% or more)

For question 10, respondents could select from: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, don’t know.   

10) For the following statements, select how much you agree with each statement for those children you work with most often, who have below expected levels of Oral Language. Most children (0-18 months) with Oral Language below expected levels:  

• Do not use sounds (e.g., aaa, eee, ooo) to express themselves as expected for their age 
• Do not use gestures (e.g., pointing, waving) as expected for their age 
• Do not understand and use some words as expected for their age 
• Do not enjoy and interact when stories are told or read as expected for their age 
• Do not respond to questions and express their needs using words, sounds or gestures (e.g.,me want) as expected for their age. 

Oral language questions about children aged 1.5 – 3 years old

11) Approximately what percentage of children (18 - 36 months / 1.5 - 3 years old) you work with most often are not meeting Oral Language development expectations?  

• Less than a quarter of the children (25% or less) 
• About half of the children (50%) 
• Most of the children (75% or more) 

For question 12, respondents could select from: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, don’t know.

12) For the following statements, select how much you agree with each statement for those children you work with most often, who have below expected levels of Oral Language. Most children (18 - 36 months / 1.5 - 3 years old) with Oral Language below expected levels:

• Do not add and use new sounds to express themselves as expected for their age 
• Do not use gestures to communicate with others as expected for their age 
• Do not rapidly learn and use a range of new words as expected for their age 
• Do not combine words to form short sentences as expected for their age 
• Do not tell their first stories and answer simple questions as expected for their age 
• Do not follow simple verbal instructions as expected for their age. 

Oral language questions about children aged 3-5 years old  

13) Approximately what percentage of children (3 - 5 years old) you work with most often are not meeting Oral Language development expectations?  

For question 14, respondents could select from: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, don’t know.   

14) For the following statements, select how much you agree with each statement for children you work with most often, who have below expected levels of Oral Language. Most children (3 - 5 years old) with Oral Language below expected levels: 

• Do not understand that sounds combine to make words as expected for their age 
• Do not make up their own rhymes (e.g., bees knees) as expected for their age 
• Do not use gestures as part of their communication with others as expected for their age 
• Do not understand and use a range of new words and are not building on the number of words they can use as expected for their age 
• Do not combine words to form longer sentences as expected for their age 
• Do not make sentences that are nearly all grammatically correct as expected for their age 
• Do not tell longer stories as expected for their age 
• Do not change their language depending on who they are talking to as expected for their age 

Open text question  

15) Have you noticed any patterns among the children who have below expected levels of Oral Language? Please tell us:  

16) Approximately what percentage of children in your early learning setting are bi-lingual or multi-lingual?  

17) Which areas of Oral Language development are progressing well for most children (75% or more of children)? (Tick all that apply)  

• Vocabulary (e.g., knowing and using words correctly) 
• Grammar and syntax (e.g., putting word/sentences together) 
• Social language (e.g., initiating conversation) 
• Listening and comprehension skills (e.g., following instructions) 
• Sounds/speech and rhythm (e.g., speaking clearly) 

18) Which areas of Oral Language development are of concern for most children (75% or more of children)? (Tick all that apply) 

19) Approximately what percentage of children about to start school (4.5-5 year olds) are not meeting Oral Language development expectations? (If this is the age group you work with) 

Questions about teaching practice and knowledge  

For question 20, respondents could select from: extremely confident, somewhat confident, a little confident, not at all confident, don’t know.   

• your professional knowledge about how children's Oral Language develops? 
• your knowledge of typical Oral Language development? 
• your knowledge of Oral Language development expectations for the age group you teach? 

For questions 21 and 22, respondents could select from: very capable, capable, a little capable, not capable at all, don’t know.  

21) How capable do you feel to: 

• to notice, recognise, and respond to support children's Oral Language? 
• in assessing and reporting on progress of Oral Language development (e.g., Learning Stories)? 
• in identifying any delays in Oral Language development? 
• working with specialists (e.g., speech language therapists, early intervention services)? 

22) How capable do you feel to: 

• Intentionally use words to build children’s understanding of words (e.g., labelling) 
• Intentionally use language to show how words form sentences and give children opportunity to apply it (e.g., explaining) 
• Encourage children to actively participate while ‘reading’ a book (e.g., asking questions) 
• Use language to extend interactions by encouraging children to make links, give reasons, etc. 
• Give children opportunities to learn the social rules of communication (e.g., adjusting words or volume based on the context) 
• Give children opportunities to experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures 
• Communicate and partner with parents and whānau to support oral language development

23) For question 23, respondents could select from: almost always, often, sometimes, rarely, never.

• Intentionally using words to build children’s understanding of words (e.g., labelling) 
• Intentionally using language to show how words form sentences and give children opportunity to apply it (e.g., explaining) 
• Encouraging children to actively participate while ‘reading’ a book (e.g., asking questions) 
• Using language to extend interactions by encouraging children to make links, give reasons, etc. 
• Giving children opportunities to experience the stories and symbols of their own and 
• other cultures  
• Communicating and partnering with parents and whānau to support oral language development 

24) Please rank these in order of how important you think they are (for the age group you work with):

• Intentionally using words to build children's understanding of words (e.g., labelling) 
• Intentionally using language to show how words form sentences and give children 
• opportunity to apply it (e.g., explaining) 
• Encouraging children to actively participate while 'reading' a book (e.g., asking questions) 
• Giving children opportunities to learn societal rules of verbal and non-verbal communication, so they can best engage and communicate with others (e.g., adjusting words or volume based on the context) 
• Giving children opportunities to experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures  

25) Do you think the Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on children’s Oral Language development?

• Don’t know  

26) If it has had a negative impact, please tell us how: (free text response)  

27) If it has had a positive impact, please tell us how: (free text response)  

Questions about challenges and useful resources 

28) What are challenges you experience as a kaiako/teacher in supporting Oral Language development? (free text response) 

29) What resources do you find useful for supporting Oral Language development? (free text response) 

Closing question 

30) Is there anything else you would like to tell us about children's Oral Language development? 

New entrant teacher survey 

Demographic questions 

1) Do you teach new entrants or Year 1 learners (5–7-year-olds)?  

2) Which region do you work in? [region drop-down options]  

3) Do you teach in a bilingual unit?  

4) What teaching qualification do you have? [qualification drop-down options]  

5) Please select the ethnic group(s) with which you identify. (Tick all that apply)  

• New Zealand European/Pākehā  
• Cook Island Māori  
• Other Pacific  
• Other Asian  
• Other European  
• Middle Eastern  
• Latin American  
• Don’t know  
• Prefer not to say  

6) Which languages do you speak with your learners? (Please tick all that apply)  

• Te Reo Māori  
• Northern Chinese  
• Fiji Hindi  
• Afrikaans  
• Malayalam  
• Portugese  
• Other (please specify)  

7) Are you:  

• Gender diverse  

Questions about the oral language development of children in the teacher’s class   

8) Approximately what percentage of children in your class are bi-lingual or multi-lingual?  

• Less than a quarter of the children (25% or less)  
• About half of the children (50%)  
• Most of the children (75% or more)  

9) This year, approximately what percentage of children started school with Oral Language at a level expected for 3–4 year-olds, below expected levels for new entrants?  

10) For the following statements, select how much you agree with each statement for those children in your class who have below expected levels of Oral Language. 

Most children with Oral Language below expected levels:

• Do not understand that sounds combine to make words as expected for their age  
• Do not make up their own rhymes (e.g., bees knees) as expected for their age  
• Do not use gestures as part of their communication with others as expected for their age  
• Do not understand and use a range of new words and are not building on the number of words they can use as expected for their age  
• Do not combine words to form longer sentences as expected for their age  
• Do not make sentences that are nearly all grammatically correct as expected for their age  
• Do not tell longer stories as expected for their age  
• Do not change their language depending on who they are talking to as expected for their age  

11) This year, approximately what percentage of children started school with Oral Language at a level expected for 5-7 year-olds?  

For question 12, respondents could select from: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, don’t know.   

12) For the following statements, select how much you agree with each statement for those children in your class who have below expected levels of Oral Language.   

Most children with Oral Language below expected levels:  

• Do not tell a story using a wide variety of words in the right context as expected for their age  
• Do not initiate and have conversations as expected for their age  
• Do not have the language to express their feelings and emotions as expected for their age  
• Do not have clear speech as expected for their age   
• Do not understand what is said to them, in the language of instruction in the classroom, as expected for their age  

13) Have you noticed any patterns among the children starting school with below expected   levels of Oral Language? Please tell us:  

14) Which areas of Oral Language development are progressing well for most children (75% or more of children)? (Tick all that apply)  

• Vocabulary (e.g., knowing and using words correctly)  
• Grammar and syntax (e.g., putting word/sentences together)  
• Social language (e.g., initiating conversation)  
• Listening and comprehension skills (e.g., following instructions)  
• Speech and rhythm (e.g., speaking clearly)  
• Don't know  

15) Which areas of Oral Language development are of concern for most children (75% or more of children)? (Tick all that apply) 

16) Do you think the Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on children’s Oral Language development?  

17) If it has had a negative impact, please tell us how: 

18) If it has had a positive impact, please tell us how: 

For question 19, respondents could select from: extremely confident, somewhat confident, a little confident, not at all confident, don’t know.

19)  How confident do you feel in:  

• your professional knowledge about how children's Oral Language develops?  
• your knowledge of typical Oral Language development?  
• your knowledge of Oral Language development expectations for the age group you teach?  

For questions 20 and 21, respondents could select from: very capable, capable, a little capable, not capable at all, don’t know.  

20) How capable do you feel:  

• to support Oral Language development?  
• to assess and report on progress of Oral Language development (e.g., narrative assessments or Learning Stories)?  
• to identify any delays in Oral Language development?  
• to work with specialists (e.g., speech language therapists, learning support)?  

21) How capable do you feel to:  

• Intentionally use words to build children’s understanding of words (e.g., labelling)  
• Intentionally use language to show how words form sentences and give children opportunity to  apply it (e.g., explaining)  
• Encourage children to actively participate while ‘reading’ a book (e.g., asking questions)  
• Use language to extend interactions by encouraging children to make links, give reasons, etc.  
• Give children opportunities to learn the social rules of communication (e.g., adjusting words or volume based on the context)  
• Give children opportunities to experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures  
• Communicate and partner with parents and whānau to support oral language development  

For question 22, respondents could select from: almost always, often, sometimes, rarely, never.   

22) How often do you use the following practices to support oral language development:   

• Intentionally using words to build children’s understanding of words (e.g., labelling)  
• Intentionally using language to show how words form sentences and give children opportunity to apply it (e.g., explaining)  
• Encouraging children to actively participate while ‘reading’ a book (e.g., asking questions)  
• Using language to extend interactions by encouraging children to make links, give reasons, etc.  
• Giving children opportunities to experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures  
• Communicating and partnering with parents and whānau to support oral language development  

23) Please rank these in order of how important you think they are (for the age group you work with):  

• Intentionally using words to build children's understanding of words (e.g., labelling) Intentionally using language to show how words form sentences and give children opportunity to apply it (e.g., explaining)  
• Encouraging children to actively participate while 'reading' a book (e.g., asking questions)  
• Giving children opportunities to learn societal rules of verbal and non-verbal communication, so they can best engage and communicate with others (e.g., adjusting words or volume based on the context)  
• Giving children opportunities to experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures   
• Communicating and partnering with parents and whānau to support oral language development   

Closing questions  

24) What are challenges you experience as a kaiako/teacher in supporting Oral Language development? [free text response]  

25) What resources do you find useful for supporting Oral Language development? [free text response]  

26) Is there anything else you would like to tell us about children's Oral Language development? [free text response]  

Parent and whānau survey  

Demographic information

1) Are you:  

2) How old are you?  

• Under 16 years  
• 16 - 20 years  
• 21 - 30 years  
• 31 - 40 years  
• 41 - 50 years  
• Over 50 years  

3) What is your highest educational qualification?  

• Left school without any qualification  
• High school qualification  
• Trades qualification  
• University graduate  
• University postgraduate  

4) Please select the ethnic group(s) with which you identify. (Tick all that apply)  

5) Which languages do you speak with/in front of your child/ren? (Please tick all that apply)  

• Nothern Chinese  
• Portuguese  

6) Which region of New Zealand do you live in?  

7) How many children are you the primary caregiver for?  

8) How many of your children are under the age of 7?  

Questions in relation to the respondent’s youngest child  

9) What is your relationship to this child?  

10) Is this child:  

11) How old is this child?  

• 0 - 17 months  
• 18 - 35 months (1.5 - just under 3 years old)  
• 3 - 4 years (just under 5 years old)  
• 5 years old  
• 6 years old  
• 7 years old  

For questions 12 to 15, respondents could select from: no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, cannot do at all, don’t know.  

12) How difficult does your child find it to:  

• Use sounds (e.g., aaa, eee, ooo) to express themselves  
• Use gestures (e.g., pointing, waving)  
• Understand and use some words  
• Enjoy and interact when stories are told or read  
• Respond to questions and express their needs using words, sounds or gestures (e.g., me want) 

13) How difficult does your child find it to:  

• Add and use new sounds to express themselves  
• Use gestures to communicate with others  
• Rapidly learning and using a range of new words  
• Combine words to form short sentences  
• Tell their first stories and answer simple questions  
• Follow simple verbal instructions  

14) How difficult does your child find it to:  

• Understand that sounds combine to form words  
• Make up their own rhymes (e.g., bees knees)  
• Use gestures as part of their communication with others  
• Understand and use a range of new words and are building on the number of words they can use  
• Combine words to form longer sentences  
• Make sentences that are nearly all grammatically correct  
• Tell longer stories   
• Change their language depending on who they are talking to  

15) How difficult does your child find it to:  

• Understand and use sounds to combine and form words  
• Understand and use a range of new words  
• Ask complex questions  
• Combine words to form longer and more complex sentences  
• Tell stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end  
• Express their feelings and ideas through words  
• Follow two-step instructions  

For question 16, respondents could select from: extremely happy, quite happy, a little happy, not happy at all.

16) How happy are you with your child's level of Oral Language development?  

For question 17, respondents could select from: not concerned, a little concerned, somewhat concerned, extremely concerned, don’t know.

17) Please tell us which areas you are most concerned about by indicating the level of   concern.  

• My child's ability to understand and use sounds  
• My child's ability to understand and use words  
• My child's ability to combine words to form sentences and questions  
• My child's ability to tell stories   
• My child's ability to express their feelings and needs  

18) My child's early learning service or school tells me where to go for help/support about Oral Language if needed  

• Does not apply to me  

For question 19, respondents could select from: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, don’t know.   

19) I know what to expect at each stage of my child's Oral Language development.  

20) Have you participated in any parenting programs for Oral Language development?  

21) Has your child's early learning service or school shared any information about Oral   Language development?  

For question 22, respondents could select from: extremely useful, somewhat useful, a little useful, not useful at all, don’t know.

22) How useful have you found this information to support your child's Oral Language at   home?  

For question 23, respondents could select from: strongly agree, disagree, strongly disagree, don’t know.  

23) My child's early learning service or school:  

• helps me understand what Oral Language development looks like for my child  
• shows me ways to support my child's Oral Language development at home  

For questions 24 and 25, respondents could select from: extremely confident, somewhat confident, a little confident, not confident at all, don’t know.  

24) How confident do you feel about:  

• supporting your child's Oral Language development at home  
• helping your child learn and use new words  
• helping your child combine words to form sentences  
• helping your child tell stories  
• helping your child express their needs and wants.   

25) Overall, how confident do you feel about supporting your child's Oral Language at home?  

26) Is there anything else you would like to tell us about how your child's early learning service or school is supporting your child's Oral Language? [free text response].   

Figure 1: Proportion of 3- and 4-year-olds attending licenced ECE services, 2019-2023

Figure 3: Parents and whānau reporting of whether their child has difficulty with oral language

Figure 4: Proportion of parents and whānau who report their toddler or preschooler has difficulty with oral language

Figure 5: Percentage of teachers reporting Covid-19 had an impact on children’s oral language development

Figure 6: Proportion of parents and whānau that report their child has some difficulty in oral language

Figure 7: Proportion of parents and whānau that report their child has some difficulty in different aspects of oral language

Figure 8: New entrant teachers reporting that most children they work with are below the expected level of oral language, by socio-economic community

Figure 9: Parents and whānau report their child has at least some difficulty with oral language, by parent qualification

Figure 10: Proportion of teachers that report they are confident to support oral language development

Figure 11: Proportion of teachers who reported they often use key teaching practices

Figure 12: How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers teach new words and how to use them

Figure 13: How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers model how words make sentences

Figure 14: How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers read interactively with children

Figure 15: How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers use conversation to extend language

Figure 18: ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence in their professional knowledge about how children’s oral language develops

Figure 19: ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence in their knowledge of oral language development expectations for the age group they teach

Figure 20: ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence to assess and report on the progress of children’s oral language development

Figure 22: How often ECE teachers and new entrant teachers partner with parents and whānau

Figure 23: Parents and whānau response to ‘my child’s early learning service shows me ways to support my child’s oral language development at home’

Figure 24: Parent and whānau response to ‘my child’s early learning service helps me understand what oral language development looks like for my child’

Figure 25: ECE teachers’ and new entrant teachers’ reported confidence to work with specialists

Figure 26: ECE teachers’ reported confidence to assess and report progress of children’s oral language development – the difference between teachers in education and care and kindergarten  

Figure 27: ECE teachers’ reported confidence to partner with parents and whānau – the difference between teachers in kindergarten and education and care

Figure 28: ECE teachers’ confidence to identify difficulties in children’s oral language – the difference between qualified and non-qualified teachers

Figure 29: ECE teachers’ reported confidence to work with specialists – the difference between qualified and non-qualified teachers

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• Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, & Taggart, B. (2013). Effective Pre-School Education. UK, London: EPPE Project . 7540_eppse_report_ks1.pdf (ukdataservice.ac.uk)
• Ministry of Education (2017). Te Whāriki . https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Early- Childhood/ELS-Te-Whariki-Early-Childhood-Curriculum-ENG-Web.pdf
• Ministry of Education (2020). Talking Together Te Kōrerorero . https://tewhariki.tahurangi.education. govt.nz/te-k-rerorero---talking-together/5637169352.p  
• Ministry of Education (2017). Te Whāriki. https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Early- Childhood/ELS-Te-Whariki-Early-Childhood-Curriculum-ENG-Web.pdf
• Ministry of Education (2020). Talking Together Te Kōrerorero. https://tewhariki.tahurangi.education. govt.nz/te-k-rerorero---talking-together/5637169352.p  
• Schaughency, E. & Carroll, J., (2020). Assessment of oral language and emergent literacy indicators in the first year of school . https://nzareblog.wordpress.com/2020/10/07/assess-oral-language/
• OECD (2011). Starting strong III: A quality toolbox for early childhood education and care, OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264123564-en.

Callanan, M., Anderson, M., Haywood, S., Hudson, R., & Speight, S. (2017). Study of early education and development: Good practice in early education. UK: Department for Education & Development and Government Social Research.  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5a8061f4ed915d74e622e223/SEED__Good_Practice_in_Early_Education_-_RR553.pdf

• Callanan, M., Anderson, M., Haywood, S., Hudson, R., & Speight, S. (2017). Study of early education and development: Good practice in early education. UK: Department for Education.

Parrila, R., Inoue, T., Dunn, K., Savage, R., & Georgiou, G. (2024). Connecting teachers’ language knowledge, perceived ability and instructional practices to Grade 1 students’ literacy outcomes. Reading and Writing, 37(5), 1153-1181.

Parrila, R., Inoue, T., Dunn, K. et al. (2024). Connecting teachers’ language knowledge, perceived ability and instructional practices to Grade 1 students’ literacy outcomes. Read Writ 37, 1153–1181 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10432-4

• Manning, M., Wong, G. T. W., Fleming, C. M., & Garvis, S. (2019). Is Teacher Qualification Associated With the Quality of the Early Childhood Education and Care Environment? A Meta-Analytic Review. Review of Educational Research, 89(3), 370 415.  https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319837540

Taggart, B., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., & Siraj, I. (2015). Effective pre-school, primary and secondary education project (EPPSE 3-16+). UCL Institute of Education  Effective pre-school, primary and secondary education project (EPPSE 3-16+) (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Education Endowment Foundation (n.d.). Teaching and modelling vocabulary: Technical summary

Education Endowment Foundation (n.d.). Teaching and modelling language: Technical summary.

• Education Endowment Foundation (n.d.). Interactive reading: Technical summary.
• Education Endowment Foundation (n.d.). Teaching through collaborative talk: Technical summary.

Education Endowment Foundation (n.d.). Teaching and modelling social communication skills: Technical summary.

• Education Endowment Foundation (n.d.). Teaching and modelling social communication skills: Technical summary

Executive Assistant to Associate Vice President for Research - Innovation Partnerships and Economic Impact

How to apply.

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Job Summary

The University of Michigan is one of the world's most powerful engines for scholarly research, service, and impact. Sustaining and supporting the University's robust research enterprise is vital for maximizing innovation and economic development.  As a service and resource for innovative investigators interested in the commercialization of research, Innovation Partnerships is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Research that plays a central role in helping to ensure that society realizes the benefits of the research conducted on campus.

Innovation Partnerships enhances research discoveries to encourage licensing and broad deployment with existing businesses and newly-formed U-M startups. Innovation Partnerships has earned a reputation for performance among the top 10 of all universities through providing responsive, professional service to our inventors and industry partners. Innovation Partnerships is seeking a highly responsible, self-motivated, detail-oriented Executive Assistant to join their team. 

The Executive Assistant will work closely with the Associate Vice President for Research - Innovation Partnerships and Economic Impact, to anticipate, coordinate, and implement the administrative activities of the organization by performing highly responsible, diversified, and confidential administrative duties requiring broad and comprehensive experience, skill, and knowledge of the environment in which this office resides. The Executive Assistant will support the Associate Vice President and will provide general administrative support to the Licensing Team within the office. This will involve taking direction from multiple people while working autonomously and prioritizing a diverse workload. The position requires someone with a proactive mindset who can also respond to challenging situations with tact and diplomacy. Due to the nature of this role, it is imperative that the incumbent maintains confidentiality, exercises appropriate judgment, and communicates effectively both orally and in writing.

Responsibilities*

The Executive Assistant will:

• Plan, coordinate and ensure the AVP's schedule is followed and respected.  
• Work closely and effectively with the Associate Vice President to keep her well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately and providing executive level support to meet deadlines and goals.
• Prioritize conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously, proactively, and provide follow-through on projects to successful completion, often within the pressure of competing deadlines.
• Carry out the planning and execution of activities related to various groups, including the Innovation Partnerships National Advisory Board and the U-M Innovation & Entrepreneurship Roundtable. 

Additional duties will include but are not limited to: 

• Maintain calendars for multiple managers
• Arrange meetings with multiple attendees with challenging schedules and provide logistical support (agendas, AV, presentation slides, materials, meeting notes, etc.)
• Assist with human resource functions
• Attend meetings and create minutes as requested by the AVP 
• Budget and administrative tasks including coordination and management of special projects and events as assigned by the AVP 
• Perform day to day office support through greeting visitors and triage of inquiries handling incoming and outgoing mail; screening incoming phone calls; initiating and preparing routine correspondence including email correspondence; proofreading, editing and formatting written materials   
• Manage financial tasks including review of invoices and processing for payment coordinating travel arrangements and preparing itineraries for the AVP; processing travel reimbursements for the AVP and members of the Licensing team; reconciling P-Card for the AVP and members of the Licensing team; and coordinating arrangements and schedules for other visitors
• Provide back-up support to other personnel in Innovation Partnerships occasionally as needed
• Provide support for the office's signature events, such as Celebrate Invention
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications*

• Requires a Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Proven ability to pay attention to details and produce accurate work. 
• Demonstrated ability to create and edit clear communications with excellent grammar and spelling. 
• Possess advanced level computer skills, including Excel, MS Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat. Considerable knowledge of and ability to use advanced business software and computer applications. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple assignments and projects from different supervisors with competing priorities and deadlines. 
• Demonstrated commitment to outstanding customer service. 
• Proven ability to independently problem solve. 
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels in the organization. 
• Ability and willingness to serve diverse populations independently, as well as, part of a team. 
• High degree of professionalism and ability to handle matters discreetly, effectively, and timely. Must be proven self-starter with strong initiative and sound judgment
• Ability to tactfully and diplomatically interact with all levels of personnel, from entry-level employees to senior management and executive officers. 
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative. 

Desired Qualifications*

• Experience working in an executive office, preferably in an academic or research setting. Minimum of five years executive assistant experience. Considerable progressively responsible administrative support experience.
• Familiarity with U-M policies and procedures.
• Experience with Chrome River and M-Pathways.
• Familiarity with database management.
• Familiarity with interactive scheduling and polling tools.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

An official website of the United States government

Supervisory Aerospace Engineer, AST Research Pilot

The Flight Crew Branch (410) at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is currently seeking a highly skilled candidate for a Supervisory Research Pilot. This position will also serve as a Deputy Branch Chief.

• Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

08/20/2024 to 08/26/2024

$172,257 - $191,900 per year

Pay scale & grade

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Armstrong Flight Research Ctr Edwards AFB, CA

Telework eligible

Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type, work schedule.

Competitive

Promotion potential

Job family (series).

• 0861 Aerospace Engineering

Supervisory status

Security clearance, position sensitivity and risk.

Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process

• Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure

Bargaining unit status, announcement number.

AFRC-24-IMP-12499699-LC

Control number

This job is open to.

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

Current Armstrong Flight Research Center federal employee serving on a career, career-conditional, Schedule A for individuals with disabilities, or NASA term appointment that provides eligibility to convert to a permanent appointment or a current NASA employee on a long-term rotational assignment to the NASA Engineering and Safety Center or the NASA Safety Center.

• Serves as a Supervisory Research Pilot providing guidance on policy and procedure for flight operations; responsible for managing, planning, coordinating, and directing all flight crew activities.
• Provides administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the Branch and provides full support to the Branch Chief.
• Defines jobs, selects employees, and assigns work; defines technical work requirements and milestones; and evaluates the organization and employees work to senior management and other offices.
• Provides management, administrative, technical, policy, and procedural guidance for flight operations, the flight crew, and mission planners and ensures the crews are trained and available to accomplish the mission.
• Oversees and participates in the evaluation of safety-of-flight, handling characteristics, and performance parameters for research aircraft.
• Develops, implements, and oversees the safety management system, approves/publishes program operational procedures, and coordinates proposed research flight plans.
• As a Research Pilot provides oversight and inputs on proposed modifications, repairs, and adjustments to the aircraft that may affect airworthiness.
• Collaborates with other US Government agencies, civilian contractor corporations, and Center mission and service staffs regarding office functions.
• Performs a full range of supervisory duties which includes assigning and evaluating work; recommending personnel actions; taking disciplinary actions; and identifies training needs and developing employees.
• Fosters a culture of engagement, diversity, inclusiveness, excellence and innovation. Champions NASAs commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility to create an environment that promotes a commitment to safety, integrity, and teamwork.

Requirements

Conditions of employment.

• A one-year supervisory probationary period may be required.
• Current Federal employees must meet qualifications, time in grade, and 90 days after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• You must be proficient in the English language.
• At the time of initial appointment, you must possess a current FAA first class medical certificate or a military pilot flight physical; or you must obtain a NASA flight medical certification.
• Position subject to pre-employment background security investigation.

Qualifications

• A current Federal Aviation Administration commercial pilot's license with an instrument rating or a pilot and instrument rating from the armed services.
• 1,500 hours of pilot-in-command (or first pilot) flight time that included at least 500 hours in jet aircraft having at least 3,000 pounds of thrust per engine.
• Leading or managing a team/project, conducting research, development or test programs related to aerospace;
• Providing technical leadership or guidance in the design of flight profiles for data collection; OR
• Providing technical leadership or guidance in the design or evaluation of aircraft modifications.
• Submit a copy of your license with your application and
• Ensure that your flight hours are indicated in your resume.

Basic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree with a major in one of the following: a) Engineering from a college or university that has ABET accredited engineering programs b) Physical Science, Mathematics, Life Science or other field of Science c) Computer Science that included 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of course work in any combination of mathematics, statistics and computer science with at least half of those hours in mathematics and statistics courses that included differential and integral calculus; and that provided an in-depth knowledge of theoretical and practical applications of computer science, including digital computer system architecture and system software organization, the representation and transformation of information structures, and the theoretical models for such representations and transformations. If you did not complete a qualifying bachelor's degree, you may be eligible if you have obtained a graduate degree in an AST qualifying field, as listed above. Degrees in engineering technology are not considered qualifying for this position. Engineering degrees earned within the United States: Engineering degrees earned within the United States must be from a college or university that has at least one ABET accredited engineering program. To find out if a school has at least one ABET accredited program, please visit http://www.abet.org . Engineering degrees earned outside the United States: Engineering degrees earned outside the United States must be recognized by a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), often known as accords. These are non-governmental agreements among organizations that accredit academic degree programs. MRAs recognize the substantial equivalence of mature accreditation systems and programs accredited by signatory organizations within their jurisdictions. For a listing of Signatories, please visit, https://www.abet.org/global-presence/mutual-recognition-agreements/is-your-program-recognized/ . Science and other related degrees earned within the United States: Science and other related degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . Science and other related degrees earned outside the United States: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ . All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement . By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement. I f you are a current federal employee , you must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible for this position. To be eligible, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in a position no more than 1 grade lower than the advertised position. ( Please submit your SF-50's that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. If your eligibility for both merit promotion and/or time-in-grade cannot be determined, your application will be rated ineligible.) Note: Time-in-grade requirements also apply to applicants who have held a non-temporary, competitive service GS position in the past year. If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must: - Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility. - Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. Candidates rated in the 'Best Qualified' category are considered well-qualified. Please see 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for more information. - Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents' For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https:// www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap. Qualified NASA term employees who have term conversion eligibility ( Term Appointments | NASA ) under the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004 will be referred and considered equally with other NASA permanent employees under internal competitive placement procedures.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits .

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

• Aerospace Engineering
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Institutional Aircraft Operations
• Best Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a superior level of all evaluation criteria.
• Highly Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria.
• Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate the basic qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Best Qualified merit promotion candidates. Highly Qualified merit promotion candidates may also be referred, if additional candidates are needed.
• Qualified candidates eligible for consideration under Schedule A or VRA in accordance with veterans' preference rules, as applicable.
• Qualified candidates that are eligible for special hiring authorities or non-competitive hiring authorities.

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

• Classified or government sensitive information.
• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Photos of yourself
• Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
• Encrypted and digitally signed documents.
• Professional Certification
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• To begin the application process, you will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application process. Once logged in to your account, click on the "Apply" link.
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. We strongly encourage you to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder when creating your resume. Using the resume builder will help you ensure your resume includes important information related to your qualifications and eligibility for this position. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. During the application process you can review, edit, delete and update your information. We'll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won't lose any changes. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the 'Include Personal Information' section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the vacancy questionnaire which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify all required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
• Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.

Agency contact information

Once you submit your application package, you will receive an acknowledgement email. Throughout the process you will receive regular status updates through USAJOBS. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account ( https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login ), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/ . If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the hiring manager. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer. If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing a scheduled appointment, we may rescind a tentative job offer. An official, written job offer will be issued once all requirements have been verified.

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request

Required Documents

How to apply, fair & transparent.

This job originated on www.usajobs.gov . For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/804898600 . Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.

Learn more about

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Explore the Extraordinary Calling all the innovators, pioneers, visionaries, and adventurers! We are diverse group of professionals united by a common purpose: to discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity. We're building on our rich legacy by embarking on new and exciting missions, both on Earth and beyond and we're looking for fresh ideas to help us get there. Do you have a passion for exploration? Do you want your work to leave an enduring impact? Join us in a career that can take you farther than you can imagine. At NASA, our work is more than just a profession-it's a lifelong pursuit, a passion, and a chance to change the world. NASA is more than astronauts. We are scientists, engineers, IT specialists, human resources specialists, accountants, writers, technicians and many other kinds of people working together to break barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible. Explore the extraordinary, every day; explore a career at NASA!

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Armstrong Flight Research Center, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.nasa.gov/careers/

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Research Coordinator

• Madison, Wisconsin
• SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH/RADIOLOGY-GEN
• Staff-Full Time
• Opening at: Aug 23 2024 at 15:35 CDT
• Closing at: Sep 8 2024 at 23:55 CDT

Job Summary:

The Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, School of Medicine & Public Health is seeking a Research Coordinator who will serve as data steward for radiomics (machine learning in radiology imaging) projects ongoing in Dr. Tiwari's lab. The research conducted by Tiwari lab utilizes substantial amounts of medical imaging and clinical data to build and optimize AI and machine learning models that identify computerized image-based phenotypes, and their associations with genomics and histo-pathology for disease characterization, with the aim of developing personalized diagnostic tools towards improved early diagnosis, prognosis, and response to treatment for neurological conditions and other diseases. The Research Coordinator will be responsible for being the point person regarding data acquiring, deidentification, clinical data management, and database upkeep of an ever-growing repository of medical imaging and clinical information for a variety of diseases (e.g., brain tumors, stroke, Alzheimer's, MS, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver disease), as well as coordinating data-related efforts across different multi-site collaborations. Tiwari lab utilizes medical imaging datasets from a variety of sources, including from the UW Health Electronic Health Record, through data user agreements with collaborating institutions, and publicly available sources. Under the guidance of the PI and lab manager, this role will manage identifying and downloading new datasets, perform quality control and reporting on new and existing datasets, and preprocessing and annotating images to ensure high-quality data is fed into the AI and machine learning models enabling this research.

Responsibilities:

• 40% Assists with conducting experiments or interviews, collecting and analyzing data, and documenting results according to established protocols
• 10% Assists in composing and organizing research reports and manuscripts to provide updates on unit objectives
• 30% Maintains organization of research records according to established policies and procedures
• 10% Quality control of the images for AI analysis using approaches developed by the lab in detecting artifacts, image quality
• 10% Annotate regions of interest on MRI scans for AI analysis. Segment regions of interest i.e. Cancer, disease, inflammation, notable pathologies on radiographic scans for AI analysis

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Required Bachelor's Degree Medical Imaging, Data Science, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field

Qualifications:

-At least 1-2 years of related experience in medicine/radiology/medical imaging techniques is preferred. -Professional and effective oral and written communications skills. Must be able to clearly relay information to faculty PI's and other researchers and prepare reports as needed. -Effective data management and organizational skills; ability to train, work with, and elicit cooperation from team members with regards to data stewardship. -Ability to problem-solve effectively; ability to develop and implement alternative solutions as needed. -Ability to learn and apply new ideas, techniques, processes, policies, functions, etc. Must be highly motivated and a self-starter. -Familiarity with image scanners and scanning protocols is preferred.

Work Schedule:

Monday -Friday, 7:30AM -4:30PM

Full Time: 100%

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Minimum $19.83 HOURLY Depending on Qualifications

How to Apply:

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply Now" button. You will be asked to upload a resume, cover letter, and list of three professional/supervisor references as a part of the application process. References will not be contacted without prior notice. Please ensure that the resume and cover letter address how you meet the minimum/preferred qualifications for the position.

Alex Scaffidi [email protected] 608-262-7480 Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Research Coordinator(RE034)

Department(s):

A53-MEDICAL SCHOOL/RADIOLOGY/RADIOLOGY

Employment Class:

University Staff-Ongoing

Job Number:

The university of wisconsin-madison is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer..

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Executive Order 14086 – Policy and Procedures

Other Release

Bureau of Intelligence and Research

July 3, 2023

Article Index

I. introduction, ii. general provisions and authorities.

• III. Safeguarding Personal Information Collected Through Signals Intelligence

IV. Training

V. deviations from these procedures, vi. conclusion.

Executive Order (E.O.)14086 of October 7, 2022, on Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities, bolsters privacy and civil liberty safeguards for U.S. signals intelligence activities and creates an independent and binding mechanism enabling individuals in qualifying states (defined as countries and regional economic integration organizations), as designated under the E.O., to seek redress through the submission of a qualifying complaint if they believe their personal data was collected through U.S. signals intelligence in a manner that violated applicable U.S. law. Among other provisions, Section 2(c)(iv) of the E.O. requires the head of each element of the Intelligence Community (IC) to: continue to apply relevant policies and procedures issued pursuant to Presidential Policy Directive-28 of January 17, 2014; update those policies and procedures as necessary to implement the privacy and civil liberties safeguards in the E.O.; and release the updated policies and procedures publicly to the maximum extent possible.

This document constitutes the updated policies and procedures of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). INR is a bureau of the U.S. Department of State (the “Department”) and also an element of the IC pursuant to Section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947, as amended, and Section 3.5(h) of E. O. 12333, as amended.

INR provides all-source intelligence analysis and information to support the Secretary of State, U.S. diplomats, and other Department officials; coordinates policymaker use of IC information in foreign engagements and public diplomacy; ensures that intelligence activities support foreign policy and national security purposes; serves as the focal point in the Department for facilitating policy review of covert action, sensitive intelligence, counterintelligence, and law enforcement activities; serves in a liaison capacity for the Department with the IC and represents the Department in a variety of intelligence-related fora; and manages and operates the Department’s Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information network.

Pursuant to Section l.7(i) of E. O. 12333, as amended, INR is to “[c]ollect (overtly or through publicly available sources), analyze, produce, and disseminate information, intelligence, and counterintelligence to support national and departmental missions.”

INR is not authorized to conduct – and does not conduct – signals intelligence activities.

III. Safeguarding Personal Information Collected through Signals Intelligence

The following policies and procedures fulfill the principles contained in Section 2(a)(ii)-(iii) of E.O. 14086 and apply to INR’s safeguarding of personal information of non-U.S. persons collected through signals intelligence activities conducted by IC agencies who are authorized to collect signals intelligence. These policies and procedures do not apply to information collected through diplomatic reporting.

These policies and procedures shall be used by all INR employees and contractors, employees of other departments or agencies who are detailed to INR and perform INR work under the direction and supervision of INR, and any other State Department employees when they are performing intelligence activities authorized pursuant to E.O.12333 (collectively, “INR personnel”).

A. Minimization

INR does not have access to unevaluated, raw, or unminimized signals intelligence, including signals intelligence collected in bulk, but it receives, from other IC elements, signals intelligence information that has been evaluated, minimized, or otherwise included in finished intelligence products subject to – among other requirements – the provisions of E.O. 14086.  Unless it possesses specific information to the contrary, INR will presume that any evaluated or minimized signals intelligence information it receives from other IC elements that have adopted procedures implementing E.O. 14086 and which has been disseminated is consistent with that Executive Order.

i. Dissemination

In limited situations where INR receives personal information of non-U.S. persons collected through signals intelligence activities, it will only disseminate such information if dissemination of comparable information concerning U.S. persons would be permitted under Section 2.3 of E. O. 12333.

INR will disseminate personal information collected through signals intelligence on the basis that it is foreign intelligence only if the information relates to an authorized intelligence requirement and not solely because of a person’s nationality or country of residence. INR will disseminate within the U.S. Government personal information concerning a non-U.S. person that is foreign intelligence only if an authorized and appropriately trained individual has a reasonable belief that the personal information will be appropriately protected and that the recipient has a need to know the information.  INR shall take due account of the purpose of the dissemination, the nature and extent of the personal information being disseminated, and the potential for harmful impact on the person or persons concerned before disseminating personal information collected through signals intelligence to recipients outside the U.S. government, including to a foreign government or international organization.  INR shall not disseminate personal information collected through signals intelligence for the purpose of circumventing the provisions of E.O. 14086.

For purposes of these policies and procedures, “dissemination” means the transmission, communication, sharing, or passing of information outside of INR by any means, including oral, electronic, or physical.

ii. Retention

INR will retain personal information of non-U.S. persons collected through signals intelligence activities only if retention of comparable information concerning U.S. persons would be permitted under applicable U.S. law. INR will retain personal information concerning a non-U.S. person that is foreign intelligence in accordance with applicable Bureau and IC policies and procedures, consistent with Section 2(c)(iii)(A)(2) of E.O. 14086, including that information relates to an authorized intelligence requirement and not be retained solely because of the person’s foreign nationality or country of residence.  INR will retain personal information concerning a non-U.S. person under the same retention periods and manner of deletion that would apply to comparable information concerning U.S. persons. If INR retains personal information of a non-U.S. person because it is foreign intelligence, the information must relate to an authorized intelligence requirement, and cannot be retained solely because of the non-U.S. person’s foreign status.

B. Data Security and Access

Access to all personal information collected through signals intelligence activities – irrespective of the nationality or country of residence of the person whose information is collected – is restricted to authorized and appropriately trained personnel who have a need to access that information in the performance of authorized duties. Such information will be maintained in either electronic or physical form in secure facilities protected by physical and technological safeguards, and with access limited by appropriate security measures. Such information will be safeguarded in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and policies, including those of INR, the Department, and the IC.

Classified information will be stored appropriately in a secured, certified, and accredited facility, in secured databases or containers, and in accordance with other applicable requirements. The Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer for INR, in consultation with the Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer and Office of the Legal Adviser, as appropriate, will ensure that the electronic systems in which signals intelligence information is stored are certified under and adhere to established standards. Such electronic systems will comply with applicable law, Executive Orders, and IC and Department policies and procedures regarding information security, including with regard to access controls and monitoring.

C. Data Quality

Personal information collected through signals intelligence activities – when identifiable – shall be included in INR intelligence products only as consistent with applicable IC standards of analytic tradecraft as set forth in relevant IC directives, including ICD 203: Analytic Standards . Particular care should be taken to apply standards relating to the relevance, quality, and reliability of the information, consideration of alternative sources of information and interpretations of data, and objectivity in performing analysis.

D. Oversight

The Assistant Secretary of INR, or his or her designee, shall review implementation of these policies and procedures annually, focusing particularly on relevant provisions of E.O. 14086 regarding privacy and civil liberties.

Instances of non-compliance with these policies and procedures shall be reported to the INR Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency Officer, who, in consultation with the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Law Enforcement and Intelligence, shall determine what corrective actions are necessary, if any. In addition, all INR personnel are required to report criminal activity, including fraud, waste, and abuse involving IC activities, operations, programs, or personnel to the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community. INR personnel may also report other potential instances of non-compliance with U.S. law, these policies and procedures, or other matters of concern to the IC IG.

Significant instances of non-compliance with applicable U.S. law involving the personal information of any person collected through signals intelligence activities shall be reported promptly to the Assistant Secretary, the Secretary of State, and the Director of National Intelligence, consistent with Section 2(d)(iii) of E.O. 14086.

E. Assistance to the Signals Intelligence Redress Mechanism

INR shall provide the Civil Liberties and Privacy Officer for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI/CLPO) with access to information necessary to conduct the reviews described in either Section 3(c)(i) or Section 3(d)(i) of E.O. 14086, consistent with the protection of intelligence sources and methods. INR personnel shall not take any action designed to impede or improperly influence the ODNI CLPO’s review of qualifying complaints, or the Data Protection Review Court review of the CLPO’s determination of such pursuant to the Signals Intelligence Redress Mechanism.  INR shall comply with any determination by the ODNI CLPO to undertake appropriate remediation, subject to any contrary determination by the Data Protection Review Court, and, further shall comply with any determination of a Data Protection Review Court panel to undertake appropriate remediation.

INR shall provide the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board with access to information necessary to conduct the annual review of the signals intelligence redress mechanism described in Section 3(e) of E.O. 14086, consistent with the protection of intelligence sources and methods.

INR personnel whose duties require access to information collected through signals intelligence activities will receive annual training on the requirements of these policies and procedures.  INR will monitor completion of training requirements to ensure compliance with this provision.

The Assistant Secretary  must approve in advance any departures from these procedures, after consultation with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Security Division of the Department of Justice. If there is not time for such approval and a departure from these procedures is necessary because of the immediacy or gravity of a threat to the safety of persons or property or to the national security, the Assistant Secretary, or the Assistant Secretary’s senior representative present, may approve a departure from these procedures. The Assistant Secretary and the Office of the Legal Adviser will be notified as soon thereafter as possible. The Office of the Legal Adviser will provide prompt written notice of any such departures stating why advance approval was not possible and describing the actions taken to ensure activities were conducted lawfully to the National Security Division of the Department of Justice. Notwithstanding this paragraph, all activities in all circumstances must be carried out in a manner consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States.

These procedures are set forth solely for internal guidance within INR. Questions on the applicability or interpretation of these procedures should be directed to the Assistant Secretary, who shall determine such applicability or interpretation, in consultation with the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Law Enforcement and Intelligence, as appropriate.

Approved:   Brett Holmgren Date:  June 29, 2023

U.S. Department of State

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