Although almost 2 million families homeschool their children, there continues to be many misconceptions about the entire process. As always, it's best to help illuminate the facts instead of feeding the misunderstandings, and so here are the answers to the most common misconceptions about homeschooling.

1. A homeschool education simply cannot compare to a more traditional one.

Actually, test scores seem to indicate that homeschooled children in general test well above average across the country regardless of income, race or the level of education of the parent.

2. Homeschooled children will not be able to get into college.

This is also a misconception as more and more colleges and universities are admitting homeschoolers into their program including such well recognized institutions as Harvard and Yale. In order to qualify for these schools, homeschooled children will most likely have to submit samples of their work, along with letters of recommendation, and CLEP and SAT test results in order to verify the quality of their education.

3. Homeschooled children are not able to develop social skills.

Many people seem to feel that if a child does not attend a public or private school, they will not be able to develop the social skills needed to function well in the adult world. However, the negative behavior problems associated with many children in the school system has been well documented in recent years, and there is no firm evidence that simply attending school helps children develop social skills that will be valuable later on in life.

Most homeschooling parents realize the need for their children to interact with others of their own age as well as adults too, and so they often arrange for well supervised activities where their children can socialize with others of many different age levels. Quite often, there are even homeschool support groups in various areas that help supply social experiences for the families that take part in their group.

4. Homeschooling is only for the wealthy as it is very expensive.

The truth is that homeschooling can be as expensive as you wish to make it. There are expensive homeschooling materials and curriculums that are available complete with video instruction. However there is no evidence that such educational materials are any more effective overall than more simple and inexpensive ones. Many families who homeschool can find excellent used books and materials online, or even make use of those that are found at the local library. At any rate, the evidence seems to suggest that homeschooled children even from the poorest families often seem to be getting a quality education and scoring well on their test scores.

5. Homeschooling is not legal.

Actually, homeschooling is legal in every state in the United States, although there are different governing requirements set out by the individual states. Some states seem to be more homeschool friendly than others, but there are successful homeschoolers in every state in the country.

If you're considering homeschooling your children, do not be surprised if you meet with opposition and resistance from family or friends who may bring up some of the misconceptions that are covered in this particular article. Hopefully the information provided here can help you better answer these misunderstandings when they arise.

Steadman Issenburg writes on many consumer related topics including education. You can find home school materials and homeschool programs and more by visiting our education website.