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• Good Communication Skills. A good evaluator will help you share your results with funders, parents, the school board, and other stakeholders. Look for someone who can explain things to you in a way that you understand it, not in a way that is over your head or uses jargon.
• Willingness to Be a Team Player. In order to do a high quality job, the evaluator will need to know how the entire program operates. Look for an evaluator who will work well with your program staff. “If an evaluator is a true member of the team and understands the program fully, he or she is in a better position to interpret the data,” Dr. Glider explained. “Data is always interpreted in the context of program participants and what they experienced; a good evaluator works with program staff to interpret data and make decisions about its meaning.”

Where to Find an Outside Evaluator

There are several resources for locating qualified outside evaluators. Begin with your local college or university. Psychology, sociology, and educational psychology departments often have faculty or graduate students who are interested in prevention issues.

State departments of education, health, and justice also are excellent resources. Those agencies have personnel who are responsible for overseeing issues related to substance abuse and violence prevention and often work with evaluators whom they can recommend.

Other potential resources include local school districts or social service agencies that have conducted evaluations. Contact them to ask who conducted their evaluation and whether they were pleased with the work.

Finally, there are several national associations that maintain databases of members looking for evaluation jobs. See sidebar on page one of this article for details.

How to Hire an Outside Evaluator

Before you post a job announcement, define the scope of work. What do you think needs to be accomplished? What types of data do you think you will need to collect? What data do you already have that might be useful? What roles will program staff play in the evaluation process?

Then, draft the job announcement. Describe your program so that evaluators will understand your target population and setting. List the basic job qualifications and include instructions on how to apply.

Request a sample of a previous final report. “I always ask for a product that the evaluator has produced,” Dr. Glider noted. “Looking at a sample final report will help you determine how well the evaluator communicates. If you can’t understand what you’re reading, the person isn’t a good match for you.”

During the interview process, ask candidates to describe their understanding of your program’s intent and the goals to be attained. Have them describe the general evaluation approach they would take. Ask candidates to describe their previous experience and preferred working style. Discuss other current commitments that might affect their ability to work on your project.

Dr. Glider recommends requesting at least three references from other programs and following up with those references. "When you call references, ask them if they would hire the candidate again,” she suggested. “Did they deliver reports on time? Were they secretive about data?”

Once you select an evaluator, develop a contract and put everything in writing. Be sure to describe the general responsibilities of the evaluator, the lines of authority, and the billing procedures and schedule. List all deliverables and a timetable for receiving them. Also include details about ownership of data and publication rights. Can the evaluator write about your program and publish it without your input?

“The most important point is to build a team from the very beginning,” Dr. Glider emphasized. “Both your program staff and the evaluator need to view the relationship as a partnership so that you can use your data to continuously improve the program.”