and want to be able to understand one of the key issues over which battles are being fought - including in the Chicago teachers' strike - you need to understand Value-Added Methodology, and why it is NOT a silver bullet.
Fortunately for you, if you have 14 minutes, you can take advantage of the expertise of some professors oat Arizona State U (which has the nation's largest teacher preparation program - full disclosure, I have done some consulting for them).
Here's the video. I will offer some additional remarks in the tip jar