The usefulness of geography knowledge in a child's education is philosophically analyzed from two perspectives: (1) what geography knowledge should U.S. schools be teaching?; and (2) is there agreement about what types of geographical knowledge U.S. schools should teach? Only geographical knowledge that will be useful in life should be taught to children in school. A geographic education built around the five themes can teach children useful geographic knowledge. The themes are: (1) physical location; (2) physical and human characteristics of places; (3) relationships among people and with places; (4) patterns of movement over the earth of people, products, and information; and (5) the formation and change of regions on the earth. Philosophical analysis, supported by research, can explain why and how geographic knowledge is useful in a child's education in a democratic society. It is useful because it teaches children what in the world is where and why; it enables them to comprehend the earth and the environment; and it helps them appreciate the balance between human and physical factors that bind people to the planet. (KM)