Kan. candidate wants to ease path into classroom

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who operates an online tutoring service as “Mr. X, Mentor of Mathematics” is running for the State Board of Education in hopes of making it easier for professionals outside the public school system to become teachers.

Steve Roberts argues that state policies still place too much emphasis on ensuring that aspiring second-career teachers go back to college to study teaching methods — instead of quickly tapping their knowledge of subjects such as math and science, particularly in middle and high schools. Roberts, a self-described conservative Republican from the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, is riling educators and renewing a debate that’s simmered for years.