In this article, the author explores common characteristics of some out-of-school learning environments for African American students, drawing on findings from several studies of cultural and community practices--the game of dominoes, high school track and field, and middle and high school basketball. The author focuses on the broader question of how students in out-of-school settings learn to be competent in those settings. The environments studied had two critical characteristics: (1) participation in them was organized to support key psychosocial issues, such as belonging and identification; and (2) learning in them was scaffolded in multiple ways by expert participants. The article concludes with a discussion of potential implications for classroom learning that can foster the success of a wider range of students, including those who tend to be marginalized. (Contains 4 endnotes.)