Over three years later, the classrooms have carpets, desks and crayons. There are three PowerMacs, and the Banneker community has stabilized--though the structure remains flexible.

For example, although teachers generally stay with a class for two years, their contracts are reconsidered yearly--and some do not return.

For Birkett and Horrocks, the teachers whose contracts are not renewed are usually not a good match for the school.

"This is not just a gift. It's more typical of jobs inside the realm of business," Horrocks concludes.

Racial Matters

The Banneker school, for all its institutional differences, is also different on the surface from neighboring schools simply because of its racial makeup.

Its minority population of 97 percent, compared to 45 percent for the Cambridge school with the second-highest percentage of minorities.

Its name pays homage to the black mathematician and surveyor who helped design Washington, D.C. in 1790. The founding group of parents and educators grew out of the DuBois Institute, a Saturday program that tried to give black children a chance for academic and personal enrichment.