Arne Duncan Is the New Secretary of Education

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan to serve as education secretary, people with knowledge of the decision said Monday.Obama planned to announce his choice Tuesday morning. These individuals confirmed Duncan's selection Monday on condition of anonymity because Obama had not made the decision public.

Duncan has run the country's third-biggest school district for the past seven years. He has focused on improving struggling schools, closing those that fail. Obama highlighted this work by choosing for the announcement a turnaround story for Duncan _ Dodge Renaissance Academy, a school Duncan closed and then reopened.

The two had visited the school together three years ago, although they share more than an interest in education: Duncan has played pickup basketball with Obama since the 1990s. In fact, Duncan co-captained the Harvard basketball team and played professionally in Australia before his career in education.

Meanwhile a transition official for President-elect Barack Obama says Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar will be named Interior Secretary later this week.The appointment will round out Obama's environment and energy team. He unveiled most of the team on Monday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting Obama's upcoming announcement.