Now that you know what you are looking for, where do you find that perfect evaluator? There are many different ways and places to locate qualified candidates, including the following:

• Programs similar to yours. Contact other schools or local agencies that have implemented and evaluated similar drug and violence prevention activities. They may be able to suggest local evaluators who will be a good fit for your project. Be sure to ask whether there is anyone with whom they were dissatisfied.

• Safe and Drug-Free Schools Coordinators. Your school district's Safe and Drug-Free Schools (Title IV) Coordinator is an excellent resource for information about all phases of the prevention planning process. This individual is likely to have extensive information about local prevention resources, including qualified evaluators who may be interested in working with your program.

• State or local agencies. Most state or local government agencies (e.g., departments of education or public health) have planning and evaluation departments. You may be able to use individuals from these sections or they may be able to direct you to other local organizations or individuals who could work with you.

• Local colleges and universities. Faculty in departments of sociology, social work, education, community psychology, and public health, and in university-based research centers often have training and experience in program evaluation. Some of these professors do work outside their institutions, including program evaluations.

• Research institutes and consulting firms. Professional service firms and research organizations often employ experienced evaluators who can contract with you to conduct an evaluation. You can find many of these organizations in the Yellow Pages under "consultants".

• Funder. Ask your funder to help you identify a suitable evaluator. Funders see many evaluation reports and may know some good candidates in your area. Furthermore, it makes sense to choose an evaluator whom your funder knows and respects.

• Technical assistance providers. The staff of organizations that provide technical assistance in the fields of drug and violence prevention, such as local or regional prevention centers, can be very useful in your search for an evaluator. Help in identifying an evaluator is an appropriate technical assistance request.

• Professional associations. Associations such as the American Evaluation Association and the Society for Prevention Research may be able to provide names of local members who conduct program evaluations.

• Evaluation literature. In the library or on the Internet, look up published evaluation studies on programs like yours. If the authors are local, contact them to discuss your program. If the authors are not local, call and ask if they know of qualified evaluators in your area. By reading these articles, you will also learn a lot about how evaluation studies of programs like yours are conducted.

• Conference presentations. Look through agendas of conferences that focus on school-based health promotion and risk prevention efforts. Contact local researchers to discuss your program or ask researchers in other areas for local contacts. You may also want to request copies of the conference papers that they presented.