Arne Duncan stepping down.

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And now it's goodbye to another long term Obama cabinet member: Education Sec Arne Duncan. He will probably be best remembered for the Race to the Top, a program that has had some success but has with significant opposition from left and right, alike.

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His replacement, incidentally, is John B. King Jr. a man with a somewhat controversial history as education Comissioner in NY. This won't be one of those cabinet replacements that brings radical changes (either left or right) to Obama's education policy, so don't worry (or resume worrying depending on your views). He's a former charter school owner (alarm bells for unions), a supporter of common core and other such standards and wins diversity points, being young and mixed race (Puerto Rican/black - or blurto rican, as tender would probably call it).

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Do cabinet ministers tend to stick around if the following president is of the same party; or is Clinton likely to start with a fresh slate?

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Did a bit of research. During the Reagan to Bush Sr. handover there were three continuity figures - the AG, and the Secs. for Education and Treasury. Most of Ford's inherited cabinet ministers stepped down during 75, except Kissinger and Treasury Sec William Simon. LBJ kept most of the Kennedy figures around, due to the circumstances of him assuming the presidency; but Truman seemed to replace his with his own cronies almost immediately by '46, with only Forrestal (of the suspicious death) hanging on for particularly long. Hoover kept Kellogg as SoS, And the Treasury and Labor Secs. And most of Harding's furniture was dropped by Coolidge in about two years.

Man, you're right. There are only two real circumstances in the modern party system where under "normal circumstances" power was transitioned between two individuals of the party: Coolidge to Hoover and Reagan to Bush. Sadly I think King will stay on - he will still be green enough to want a longer crack at the job. As for the others? Well, history would suggest only two or three.

I think Kerry would be dropped, as HRC seems to be contrasting her policy towards the ME with Obama's. Maybe she'll keep, say, Lew, lynch and King?