Does experience matter in education?  Arne Duncan and Bill Gates say no, as reported in the Washington Post.  But are they right?  Experience seems to help in every other endeavor in life.  Reading, for example, requires years of experience and practice before it becomes a fluid, individual skill.  Singing a new song without ever rehearsing the rythym or the lyrics would be a mistake.  Lawyers defending a client for the first time is not as sure and confident as one who has had a hundred other cases.  And which fool would sign up to be the cardiac surgeon's first patient, knowing that he had no real experience.

Experience matters in every other discipline, hobby, and activity, so why shouldn't it matter in education?  Well, sorry fellas, but experience does matter in the classroom.  First year teachers often sail through the year on a high of enthusiasm giving the impression that they have everything under control.  To the watchful eye, cracks begin to appear early on in that facade.  A challenging student, a difficult parent, or a demanding administrator--and the poor new teacher doesn't know how to cope.  The veteran teacher with years of experience under her belt?  She handles the situation with grace and ease, while continuing to excel in meeting the needs of her students.

Does experience guarantee excellence?  Certainly not.  This maybe what Duncan and Gates were getting at (in which case, they need more experience in expressing their thoughts in a precise, concise manner).  Just because a teacher has twenty years of teaching experience does not guarantee his or her success.  However, there may be factors to blame for that as well, such as a curriculum that changes yearly (or sometimes weekly!) that is particularly challenging or doesn't suit that educators style of instructing.  At any rate, I think it is ridiculous to claim that experience doesn't matter in education.