Obama to tap Chicago schools chief for Education post

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Barack Obama will announce Arne Duncan, the chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools, as his choice for Education secretary today, two Democratic sources with direct knowledge of the pick told USA TODAY.

The two sources asked for anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about Cabinet posts before they are announced.

Duncan, 44, is a friend of Obama's who plays basketball with the president-elect. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in sociology. He was a co-captain of Harvard's basketball team and played professionally in Australia, according to his official biography.

He began working for Chicago Public Schools in 1998, and in 2001, Mayor Richard Daley named him CEO. Obama plans to highlight Duncan's work in Chicago by choosing Dodge Renaissance Academy, a school Duncan closed and then reopened, for the announcement.

Duncan has supported higher pay and better working conditions for teachers. He has championed district schools, managed by the Academy for Urban School Leadership, that train new teachers and boast a 90% teacher retention rate.

Duncan has backed No Child Left Behind, President Bush's 2002 education law, but he testified in 2006 that Congress should amend it to give schools, districts and states "the maximum amount of flexibility possible" to implement it.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who chairs the House Education Committee, called Duncan "an experienced and accomplished leader."