Asset Mapping in Urban Environments to Support Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Public schools located within urban environments are a critical component of a larger social network in their communities, with important reciprocal interactions occurring across settings. This is especially important for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), as integration and alignment of home, community, and school intervention programming is essential for their outcomes. However, teachers often have a deficit-perspective of urban communities and lack the skills to identify assets that may support generalization of interventions for students with EBD in a variety of settings. Asset mapping is one way to help special education teachers reframe this perspective. Definitions of assets and the asset mapping process, as well as practical recommendations for special education teachers to identify assets within their school community environment, are provided.