Cognitive frameworks are the common meanings that a group of people share as they perceive things, communicate, explain events, understand connections between events, and interpret their world. This paper explores the use of the concept of shared cognitive frameworks in formulating methods for improving public schools. The analysis is based on data collected from observation of nine school improvement projects that emphasized the enhancement of schools' problem solving capacities. One section of the paper discusses the San Andreas Cultural Continuity Project, which sought to bring about school improvement through workshops that aimed to raise consciousness and develop a shared framework among school staff, parents, and the community concerning the concept of discontinuities between the culture of American public schools and the culture of black children. A second section examines how the concept of shared cognitive frameworks contributes to understanding of school improvement, and discusses problems associated with the concept. A final section provides a brief review of theoretical literature on cognitive frameworks and their importance in promoting social change. It is emphasized that the cognitive framework approach for problem solving in urban schools sees problems not as disparate, but as interconnected parts of larger social events. (Author/MJL)