The article focuses on conceptual factors that contribute to the formation of the school as an exemplary educational institution. The questions about effective administration and leadership are answered by analyzing the findings and insights of educational theorists. What are the moral criteria of leadership and the ambiguous and complex decision-making process? How the insights from important work design theories correlate with important conceptual approaches to school management. An important emphasis is placed on diversity and the concept of the school microcosm: how effective administration can increase the self-efficacy of teachers, which in turn always positively affects the academic performance of students. The scientific novelty of the article discusses the views of heads of public schools in Georgia, their subjective experiences, and recommendations, together with the theoretical and conceptual tools of school management. Through the phenomenological analysis conducted with school leaders in Georgia, we will get to know the professional skills and strategies that lead to the strengthening of the school’s pulse and focusing on the so-called “school of the future” model.

South Korea has experienced rapid economic development since the 1960s. However, pronounced regional disparities have concurrently emerged. Amid the escalating regional inequalities and persistent demographic challenges characterized by low fertility rates, regional decline has become a pressing issue. Therefore, the feasibility of expanding transportation networks as a countermeasure to regional decline has been proposed. This study utilizes the synthetic control method and spatial difference-in-differences methodologies to assess the impact of the 2017 opening of Seoul–Yangyang Expressway on economic development and population inflow within Hongcheon-gun, Inje-gun, and Yangyang-gun. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of highway development as a policy instrument to mitigate regional decline. Findings from the synthetic control method analysis suggest a positive impact of the opening of the expressway on Hongcheon-gun’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in 2018, as well as Yangyang-gun’s net migration rates from 2017 to 2019. Conversely, the spatial difference-in-differences analysis, designed to identify spillover effects, reveals negative impacts of the highway on the GRDP and net migration rates of adjacent regions. Consequently, although targeted transportation infrastructure development in key non Seoul Metropolitan cities may contribute to ameliorating regional imbalances, results indicate that such measures alone are unlikely to suffice in attracting population to small- and medium-sized cities outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area.