Salem Teacher Earns Prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Award

SALEM, MA — A fifth-grade teacher at the Bentley Innovation School in Salem is one of 20 teachers nationwide selected this fall to conduct education research abroad as part of the Fulbright Distinguished Award program.

Mercy Baez, who lives in Marblehead, will travel to the United Kingdom for four months to study how British schools are changing the way they educate students of color in an increasingly diverse population.

"I am excited about this opportunity to participate in a scholarship program that delivers real impact, advancing human knowledge and tackling global challenges," she told Patch.

Baez said her overarching goal is to see how schools and teachers are changing their pedagogy to be more inclusive.

Baez, who was the only teacher in the state accepted for this Fulbright program, was selected as part of a rigorous process that assessed her academics, cultural curiosity and leadership qualities.

"My hope is to bring back the research and apply it to my school district, helping us strengthen how and what we teach our students," she said.

This past spring, Baez was also awarded the 2023 MVHoward Teacher Recognition Award for Salem.

Selected from nominations made by the community, she was commended for her excellent teaching, her strong communication with families, and her exceptional contributions to school culture.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)