CHICAGO —  The man who's in charge of Chicago's public schools is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be education secretary.

Obama says he's nominating Arne (AHR'-nee) Duncan to the Cabinet post. Duncan has been Chicago's school chief since 2001. In that job, he's pushed for higher teacher quality and improvements in struggling schools. During his tenure, student test scores have risen significantly.

The Tuesday morning announcement came at a school that he's credited with turning around _ Dodge Renaissance Academy on Chicago's West Side.

Obama says if the nation wants to compete in the world tomorrow, it has to out-educate the world today.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.