Sustainability certifications are becoming a frequently used method to deal with problems associated with sustainability. Citylab is a Swedish system that has been developed to guide municipalities in their work with planning sustainable neighbourhoods. The purpose of this study is to examine how Citylab affects large urban development projects in relation to municipal urban planning. In order to examine the purpose, a case study has been conducted, where two study objects in Norrtälje municipality and Helsingborg municipality were examined. The former municipality did only follow the framework of the system, while the latter municipality did proceed with the whole certification process. Norrtälje Hamn and Östra Ramlösa are both unique in their contexts regarding their extent and can therefore be seen as flagship projects in their respective municipalities. The study indicates that Citylab is a method that facilitates the inclusion of sustainability aspects regarding urban planning, but problems linked to social sustainability and follow-up procedures exist. In both projects there is a lack of cultural aspects and therefore these problems had to be dealt with outside of the framework of the system. Another similarity is the difficulty regarding the involvement of the entire organisation, otherwise problems connected to transferring of information can arise. Cooperation is a central part of the Citylab process, which is considered as challenging but educative in both of the examined municipalities. The urban planning process is prolonged in regard to time when a certification according to Citylab is conducted, which creates opportunities for more rigorous examination in specific problems. This can result in higher quality in the urban planning process, in the same time as it leads to higher costs. Lastly it is discussed if sustainability certifications will be a useful tool in future urban planning projects or if existing certified urban planning projects will have the same influence in regard to urban planning. / Miljöcertifieringar blir ett allt vanligare angreppssätt för hantera problem kopplade till hållbarhet. Citylab är ett svenskt system som tagits fram för att vägleda kommuner i arbetet med att planera hållbara stadsdelar. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur Citylab påverkar större stadsbyggnadsprojekt i relation till det kommunala planeringsarbetet. För att undersöka detta har en fallstudie gjorts, där två projekt undersökts i Norrtälje kommun och Helsingborgs stad. Den förstnämnda kommunen har enbart följt systemets ramverk, medan den sistnämnda har valt att genomföra hela certifieringsprocessen. Norrtälje Hamn och Östra Ramlösa är båda unika i sina kontexter mätt till dess omfattning och kan anses vara flaggskeppsprojekt i vardera kommun. Studien tyder på att Citylab är ett verktyg som underlättar inkluderingen av hållbarhetsaspekter i planeringsprocessen, men att problem kopplade till social hållbarhet och uppföljning finns. Gemensamt för projekten är avsaknaden av kulturella värden och att dessa behövde hanteras utanför certifieringens ramverk. Andra gemensamma beröringspunkter är svårigheten med att involvera hela organisationen i processen, annars kan problem kopplade till informationsöverföring uppstå. Samverkan är en central del av Citylab-processen, vilket ansetts som utmanade men lärorikt i de båda undersökta kommunerna. Planeringsprocessen förlängs tidsmässigt vid en certifiering enligt Citylab, vilket skapar förutsättningar för att djupare behandla specifika frågor. Detta kan medföra en högre kvalitet i planeringsarbetet, men samtidigt ökade kostnader. Avslutningsvis diskuteras om miljöcertifieringar kommer vara ett användbart verktyg även i framtida projekt eller om dagens certifierade projekt kommer ha samma verkan på planeringen.

The awareness of ESG (environmental, governance, social) has risen significantly during the last decade. The construction and real estate industry represents 21 % of the negative climate emissions in Sweden, highlighting the crucial role of property owners in achieving a climate-neutral society. Social sustainability and governance has also been emphasized as key factors for companies, driven by the transparency that arises with the EU-taxonomy. This master thesis investigates the relationship between ESG and property values, examining the impact of environmental certifications on property premiums and identifying the incentives driving sustainable measures in the Swedish real estate market. To investigate the key questions of the study we performed a literature review, data collection, 23 semi-structured interviews with real estate companies, industry associations, real estate advisors and banks. The data analysis includes property values as the dependent variable and investigating the relationship between six variables connected to ESG including environmental certifications, energy consumption, walk score, criminal rate, executive compensation and women on the board. The results of this study reveal the complexity and challenges in establishing a clear correlation between commercial property values and ESG factors. Although energy performance is believed to have a significant impact on property values due to lower property operating costs, which becomes further evident with higher energy prices, the direct link between ESG factors and property values remains elusive. Environmental certifications can offer various benefits, including improved financing opportunities, reduced energy expenses, and higher rental rates. However, the uniqueness of each property complicates direct comparisons and the consistent determination of whether environmental certifications consistently command a premium. Sustainable measures in the real estate market are primarily driven by risk reduction including proactive enhancements to meet regulatory demands, leading to lower yield requirements. / Medvetenheten om ESG har ökat markant under det senaste decenniet. Bygg- och fastighetssektorn står för 21% av klimatutsläppen i Sverige, vilket lyfter fram fastighetsägarnas avgörande roll för att uppnå ett klimatneutralt samhälle. Social hållbarhet och styrning har också lyfts fram som relevanta faktorer för ett framgångsrikt företag, som bland annat drivs av den transparens som EU taxonomin har bidragit till. Denna masteruppsats undersöker sambandet mellan ESG och fastighetsvärden, om och hur det finns något samband mellan miljöcertifieringar och fastighetspremier på transaktionsmarknaden och incitamenten som driver hållbara åtgärder på den svenska fastighetsmarknaden. För att undersöka frågeställningarna genomfördes en litteraturundersökning, datainsamling, 23 st semistrukturerade intervjuer med fastighetsbolag, branschorganisationer, fastighetsrådgivare och banker. Dataanalysen inkluderar fastighetsvärde som beroende variabel, där vi undersöker sambandet mellan sex oberoende variabler kopplade till ESG, vilka var miljöcertifieringar, energiförbrukning, walk score, criminal rate, ersättning till chefer och kvinnor i styrelsen. Resultaten av denna studie visar på komplexiteten och utmaningarna i en tydlig korrelation mellan fastighetsvärden och ESG-faktorer. Medan energiprestanda tros ha en betydande inverkan på fastighetsvärden på grund av lägre driftskostnader av fastigheten, som blir ytterligare påtagligt med högre energipriser, är den direkta kopplingen mellan ESG-faktorer och fastighetsvärden fortfarande tvetydig. Miljöcertifieringar kan erbjuda en rad olika fördelar, inklusive förbättrade finansieringsmöjligheter, minskade energikostnader och högre hyresnivåer. Det unika med varje fastighet komplicerar direkta jämförelser och den konsekventa bedömningen om miljöcertifieringar bidrar till en försäljningpremie.Hållbara åtgärder på fastighetsmarknaden drivs främst av riskminimering, vilket inkluderar proaktiva förbättringar för att möta eventuella framtida regulatoriska krav, som leder till lägre avkastningskrav.

Farmers’ markets are often thought to be the hallmark of the local food movement. However, there appears to be relatively little research which considers farmers’ experiences there. Drawing on 12 open-ended interviews with 16 farmers on Vancouver Island, BC, I explore how farmers’ markets support small-scale farmers, although they are losing farmer focus. I explore three key themes in this research: mainstream economic assessments of farmers’ markets, how consumer culture affects small-scale farmers, and whether organic certification works for small-scale farmers. The intent of my research is not only to consider farmers’ experiences at farmers’ markets, but to show how to improve their current organization on Vancouver Island and elsewhere. As such, this refocuses farmers’ markets back to local food, small-scale ecological farming, and food sovereignty. / Graduate

This study examined two types of teacher certification. The certifications of elementary teachers and early childhood teachers were the focus of the study. The purpose of the study was to determine if a relationship existed between teacher certification (early childhood grades pre-kindergarten through fourth and elementary education grades one through eight) and the use of developmentally appropriate practices in kindergarten classrooms in northeast Tennessee. The approach to the study was quantitative. Data were collected from teacher and classroom observations using the Early Childhood Rating Scale-Revised. Participants included kindergarten teachers in northeast Tennessee. The researcher investigated the extent to which kindergarten teachers were implementing developmentally appropriate practices in kindergarten classrooms in northeast Tennessee. There were no statistically significant differences between the extent to which kindergarten teachers with early childhood certification and kindergarten teachers with elementary education certification were implementing developmentally appropriate practices as determined by the Early Childhood Rating Scale-Revised. There were statistically significant differences in the extent to which kindergarten teachers with early childhood certification and kindergarten teachers with elementary education certification working in the city and county were implementing personal care routines. Differences were also noted between groups in parent and staff variables.

There has been limited research completed to identify supports or supporting behaviors that assisted candidates while they were completing the national board certification process. Identifying support factors that assisted national board certified teachers to the successful completion of the process was the primary focus of this study. A qualitative research method was used to interview national board certified teachers, their teaching colleagues, and their administrators. Questions were posed from the interview guides developed for each of the three targeted groups. Information derived from the interviews focused on the perceived supports that lead to the successful attainment of the national board certification. Each interview was audio taped and transcribed verbatim and then systematically coded and analyzed. The thick and rich descriptions provided an opportunity for professionals to identify with the study's participants and therefore established the applicability of the study. The specific findings were organized and clustered around the research questions. Subtopics that emerged from the data analysis process were also addressed as they related to the five researched topics. The information that accumulated prompted the formation of specific recommendations. This study should be of interest to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) as they continue to revisit their set of rigorous standards and the certification process. It should also be of interest to prospective teachers seeking the certification along with their administrators as supporters. The study could also be of interest to school system administrators who seek to promote staff development experiences for their teachers or to those individuals who desire to assist teachers in becoming highly qualified. Prompted by the No Child Left Behind legislation, our nation began to focus on the effects of teacher quality and students' achievement. The national board certification provided by the NBPTS is one means of meeting the criteria set forth to be deemed highly qualified.

During the past century the educational reform movements focused on the need for highly qualified teachers based on research surrounding the effects on student achievement related to the quality of the teacher (Busatto, 2004). The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was created in 1987 in response to the increasing focus placed on having quality teachers (Berg, 2003; Humphrey, Koppich, & Hough, 2005; NBPTS, 2011). The NBPTS is an organization governed by teachers that emphasizes sound instructional practices and improving teaching. The standards for National Board Certification are based on solid research that recognizes education practices that result in improvement in student achievement (NBPTS, 2012b). If the National Board Certification process identifies effective teachers, then the classroom practices of those teachers should demonstrate research-based best practices in their everyday instruction. The purpose of this study was to explore the everyday instructional practices of 3 Nationally Board Certified (NBC) teachers who taught grades 4 and 5 in east Tennessee. This study was a multi-site, qualitative study that included classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and checklists to conduct descriptive and evaluative case studies involving 3 Nationally Board Certified teachers who taught in counties located in east Tennessee. Research conducted by Marzano, Pickering, and Polluck (2001) identified 9 best practices of effective teachers; those practices were used as a framework for observation. Through observations and interviews the researcher investigated the teaching strategies used by 3 NBC teachers and how those strategies compare to the 9 best practices identified by Marzano et al. (2001). Further, the researcher sought to understand how the National Board Certification process impacted those strategy choices. Findings for this study support the following 3 conclusions. First, this research study revealed that the participating Nationally Board Certified teachers use research-based best practices regularly in their classrooms. Second, the NBC process makes a positive impact on instructional practices in the classroom according to the 3 teachers in this study. Last, the NBC process made a difference in the reflective practices of the 3 participants in this inquiry.

The Performance Assessment and Evaluation System (PAES) is used by all major universities in the state of Utah to measure the effective teaching skills of preservice candidates as they progress through their teaching preparation program. The resulting ratings are used to make high-stakes decisions relating to course completion as well as recommendation for licensure. This study analyzes the factor structure and tests for measurement invariance of PAES ratings assigned to 663 elementary education candidates at Brigham Young University across two measurement occasions. The candidates were rated by 30 clinical faculty associates. This study also examines the degree to which differential rater effects impact the PAES ratings of these candidates. A bifactor model, with a general factor measuring effective teaching skills measured through observation, and a specific factor measuring effective teaching skills evaluated through conversation best fit the model. Evidence of measurement invariance was found between evaluations completed for Practicum 1 and Practicum 2 candidates. This study also found that differential rater effects impact the PAES ratings of individual candidates, indicating that a candidate's rating may depend on which rater completed the evaluation. Similar research studies should be conducted to analyze the quality of PAES ratings of teacher candidates in the various secondary education programs at BYU. In addition, since the PAES is used at other teacher preparation colleges and universities in Utah, similar research studies should be conducted to examine the quality of PAES ratings of teacher candidates at these other institutions.

It is estimated that nearly 100 various environmental product certification rating tools are implemented in the United States construction and real estate industries. Choice of a certain building sustainability measurement tool depends on the specific need for reflection of buildings’ impact on the natural and urban environment as well as its tenants. Selection of the appropriate rating system is a decision-making process performed by the project client (landlord of the building, potential or current tenant) which can be affected by clients’ insufficient knowledge or otherwise be biased. The result of selection decision has significant consequences for the project design, construction process complexity and entire life-cycle of the building. In this work, an effort is made to facilitate decision-making process of best environmental rating alternative selection for a “green building” project. The analytic hierarchy process is used to perform unbiased decision making on the environmental rating selection. The decision process has been evaluated from the landlord and the tenant perspectives. The findings of this study show that for the landlord, it would be enough to be certified with a single-attribute rating that covers only one characteristic of building sustainability and, according to AHP analysis, satisfies all significant landlord’s requirements for the environmental rating system. The main conclusion of the study is that selection of environmental rating is a multicriteria problem that should take into consideration the requirements from landlord and tenant as well as the environmental ratings characteristics but not based on the distinct assessment of the mentioned factors.

Denna rapport har till syfte att belysa varför förvaltande fastighetsbolag, med en långsiktig ägarstrategi på sitt fastighetsbestånd, väljer att miljöcertifiera sina lokaler. Samt hur de upplever investeringskostnaden som en certifiering medför, om de ser några problem eller brister i systemen och vad de tror om framtiden för miljöcertifieringar. Rapporten är avgränsad till miljöcertifieringssystemen GreenBuilding, LEED, BREEAM och Miljöbyggnad. Metoden som använts för att uppfylla rapportens syfte är semi-strukturerade expertintervjuer. Nyckelpersoner inom hållbarhetsarbete på åtta av de större fastighetsbolagen i Stockholmsområdet har intervjuats. Svaren från dessa intervjuer har sedan analyserats mot tidigare forskning på området och slutsatser har frammanställts utifrån denna analys.  Av rapporten framkommer att det idag finns många anledningar för en fastighetsägare att certifiera sina kommersiella lokaler. Certifierade lokaler är efterfrågade av hyresgäster, certifieringen medför en kvalitetssäkring för byggnaden samt upplevs ge en bra miljöstyrning vid såväl projekt som vid förvaltning. Utöver detta uppenbaras att det även finns ekonomiska incitament. Certifieringen medför lägre driftkostnader och förmånligare finansiering; både i form av tillgång till mer kapital och fördelaktiga lånevillkor. Företag som emitterar obligationer öronmärkta för gröna projekt (gröna obligationer), kan även se prisskillnader på dessa gentemot vanliga obligationer.  Fastighetsbolagen upplever likväl att det finns brister och förbättringsmöjligheter för certifieringssystemen. Att certifiera en byggnad är resurskrävande, både i form av tid och pengar, och den allmänna kännedomen kring miljöcertifieringar är fortfarande relativt låg. Ett införande av färdiga systemstöd för certifieringsprocessen efterfrågas och vi anser att marknadsföringen av systemen bör bli bättre. Sammanfattningsvis kan sägas att framtiden ändå ser ljus ut för miljöcertifieringssystemen. I Stockholmsområdet anser fastighetsbolagen att det för nyproduktion av kommersiella lokaler numera nästan är en hygienfaktor. De incitament som finns för att certifiera tycks överstiga de brister som uppmärksammats, och att det numera även går att certifiera med en ekonomisk vinning indikerar att certifierandet av kommersiella lokaler enbart kommer öka. / The objective behind this thesis is to clarify why real estate companies choose to environmentally certify their commercial buildings, how they feel about the investment cost of a certification and if they are experiencing any flaws with the certification systems. The report is delimited to the systems GreenBuilding, LEED, BREEAM as well as the Swedish system Miljöbyggnad; the future of these systems is also studied and discussed. The method used to carry out this objective is semi-structured expert interviews. Key persons in sustainability work at eight of the larger real estate companies in the Stockholm area has been interviewed. The answers from these interviews has then been analyzed and compared with previous research in the field, from this analysis conclusions have been made.  The results from the report shows that there are a lot of reasons for a real estate owner to environmentally certify their commercial buildings. Certified buildings are in demand from tenants, the certifications entail a quality reassurance for the buildings as well as provides a good instrument for environmental work both for projects and for asset management. In addition to this it is revealed that there are economic incentives to certify. It results in lower operating costs and advantageous financing; both in terms of access to more capital and more profitable loan conditions. Companies that emit bonds earmarked for green projects (green bonds), can also see differences in price on these compared to regular bonds.  Despite this, the real estate companies in Stockholm are experiencing some issues with the certification systems. To certify a building is demanding in resources; both time and money. The general population seem to have little understanding of the certification systems and what they entail. An implementation of complete system support for the certification process is requested and we believe that there is room for improvement when it comes to marketing the certification systems. In conclusion, the future of the environmental certification systems seems bright. In the Stockholm area, the real estate companies consider certifications on newly produced commercial buildings almost a requirement. The incentives to certify seems to be greater than the issues that has been brought up; and the fact that an economic profit can now be made by certifying indicates that the number of certifications carried out should increase.

In this research, data collected by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) for 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 program completers of the following three Florida teacher preparation programs were compared: the Initial Teacher Preparation Programs (ITP) of approved colleges and universities, District Alternative Certification Programs (DACP), the Educator Preparatory Institutes (EPI). A factor analysis was performed to identify factors perceived by program completers as important to their preparedness to teach. The factors that most closely supported completers’ perceptions of Florida teacher preparation programs regarding successful preparation for the classroom were: Planning and Instruction; Assessment, Communication and Research; Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct; and Use of Technology. Differences perceived by program types indicated that completers of the traditional program, initial teacher preparation (ITP),were significantly more satisfied with their preparedness to face the challenges of the classroom than were completers of school district programs (DACP) and community college programs (EPI. Although the teachers in all groups believed that their preparation ranged between effective and highly effective, the scores of the ITP group reflected significantly higher mean scores and ratings closer to highly effective than the DACP and the EPI groups. Conclusions, implications for policy and practice, and recommendations for future research were offered.