Accredited Status Taking on Cachet In Charter Schools

By Caroline Hendrie

Peter C. Thorp cringes when he recalls the confusion that arose last winter when a school with a name similar to that of his own California charter school was stripped of its charter amid allegations of impropriety.

"It was a huge issue for us," said Mr. Thorp, the principal of the Gateway High School in San Francisco—which should not be confused with Gateway Academy Charter School, a multicampus school based in Fresno, Calif., that had its charter revoked in January. "We had planes flying overhead with banners saying, 'It ain't us.'"

Mr. Thorp jokes about it now, but establishing his school's bona fides is a challenge that the former Fulbright Scholar and 27- year educator takes seriously. That's why Gateway High is among a dozen charter schools in California that are piloting a new accreditation system announced last week by the state's charter school association and the Western Association...