The success of KEDI’s contributions in educational development, led to three of her most successful departments achieving independent status in 1997; these were EBS (Educational Broadcasting System), the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training. KEDI has since established itself as a leading research institute in the field of educational policy research. KEDI’s position as Korea’s top research institution was confirmed in the December 2008 issue of Korea Business Weekly magazine, which ranked KEDI first within the category of institutes focusing on political and social science, welfare and education from a total pool of Korea’s 100 top think tanks.

KEDI is well aware, however, that it cannot afford to rest on the laurels of its achievements and reputation. Domestically and internationally, politics, economies, societies and cultures are experiencing tremendous change, and educational policies and environments are also rapidly evolving. In order to deal with these challenges, KEDI is attempting to redefine itself as a true ‘innovator in education.’

KEDI is aiming to realize the following goals:
 · First, to continue developing and guiding Korea’s educational policy agenda in a   comprehensive manner, taking into account the long-term interests of the nation.
 · Second, to develop appropriate policy measures to meet Korea’s current and future educational   problems and issues.
 · Third, to collect and disseminate statistical data necessary to formulate educational policies.
 · Fourth, to enhance educational, developmental and cooperative efforts with the OECD,   UNESCO, the World Bank and similar international organizations, and to share, where   appropriate, Korea’s educational development model with other countries.

The four letters, K, E, D, and I, in addition to being the acronym for the Korean Educational Development Institute, also describe the four roles of the Institute, as follows; ‘Knowledge Creator,’ ‘Energy Plant,’ ‘Dissemination Hub,’ and ‘Idea Bank.’

In order to better meet these roles, KEDI has restructured its organization. While the Planning Division and Administration Division have remained unchanged, the School Policy Research Division has been renamed the Primary and Secondary Education Research Division. The Human Resource Policy Research Division is now renamed as the Higher Education and the Human Resource Development Research Division, and it has the role of strengthening higher education research efforts. The Human Resource and Educational Statistics Division is now the Educational Statistics and Information Research Division to better support statistical research and evidence-based policy decision-making activities. Additionally, the Educational Service Division is now the
School Consulting Research Division, and it seeks to strengthen efforts to be a more powerful energy source and idea bank for both frontline education and administrative support. Finally, to better fulfill the increasingly important function of international collaboration, the Office of International Cooperation and the Office of International Comparative Education Research have been expanded.

KEDI will be a true ‘innovator in education’ in both a national and global context. On behalf of all the KEDI family, I would like to thank you for your continued interest, support, and encouragement.