One single factor

I remember running an experiment with a close colleague using an ANOVA in order to determine what factor stood out among 4 factors on student scores on a standardized exam for 4th grade children.  So, we selected the 5 highest and 5 lowest class scores in math and writng.  We wanted to know if the same factor that was outstanding for high scores also produced low scores if it was lacking.  Sure enough one of the four factors mattered.  It wasn't class size (4th grade classes were limited to 22 children) or number of years a teacher had taught or whether it was a team of teachers or a single subject teacher.  It was the amount of time the teacher spent on the subject.  The other factors didn't matter.

That's simple enough.   It doesn't require any training.  It doesn't require hours all day trying to integrate anything.  It doesn't require one to be a brain surgeon.  When people wonder what it is that makes students perform, well, the "it" is simple.

I am also never left wondering in my personal life who and what the "it" factor is either.  It's simple... and I think about it a lot... and perform well in life when I do!