Local Market Researcher Uses Expertise to Create District 113 Survey

In January, District 113 will release a survey that asks the community to give feedback on its facility-technology plan. In an effort to get as many responses as possible, the district has turned to a market research team for help.

The group is one of six the district has formed to study the specific needs of Deerfield and Highland Park high schools. The participants are all volunteer community members, faculty and staff.  

The Board of Education originally rejected the idea of hiring an independent firm to complete the research for District 113 because estimated costs ranged from $25,000 to $100,000. In an effort to save money, board members suggested the District look for experts in the community, like Highland Park resident Marci Cohen Miller, who might be willing to do it for free. 

Cohen Miller has been running a Chicago market research company with her husband since 1983 and thought her skillset could be valuable to District 113. “I wanted to lend assistance in the field I knew I was an expert in,” she said and volunteered for the position when District 113 requested applicants back in May.

Cohen Miller and her team have been tasked with constructing a community wide survey that collects and analyzes resident’s thoughts on District 113’s future plans for both high schools. Its goal is to determine what’s most important to community members. Cohen Miller explained that the team is approaching the process in two phases, qualitative and quantitative. First, the market research team sought thoughts and opinions from a series of focus groups, which incorporates a small
group of people. Next, the team will reach out to the community at large for
feedback during the quantitative survey phase.  

“Everybody’s opinion matters,” Cohen Miller stated and hopes residents take the time to complete the survey.

“It’s my goal here to be independent,” Cohen Miller said about her role. “I’m not taking the stance of there must be a referendum, there will be a referendum, how do I pass a referendum? I’m taking the stance of what is best for the community.”

Cohen Miller has been a Highland Park resident since 1994 and currently has a daughter enrolled as a sophomore at HPHS.

“As my daughter was growing up, I was working all the time, so my volunteering was limited,” Cohen Miller said about her schedule in the past. “Now that she’s older and I have more flexibility, I feel like I owe the community some additional time,” which is why she’s been happy to provide her services to District 113 for the past several months.

“Everybody on the team is very generous with their time,” she commented about her peers. “Everyone is an expert in their own regard. So I think the community is pretty lucky to have them pitch in their time to do it.”

The market research team plans to have its survey available to the public in January.