Part One of this two-part series addresses broad equity issues in Common Core implementation, including: describing the current status of underserved students in relationship to schooling outcomes; deconstructing the Common Core standards application documents; articulating the rationale for inclusive learning environments; discussing and applying principles of Peer-Mediated Learning (PML) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to standards-based learning within inclusive environments; and, discussing the roles and responsibilities of teachers using PML and UDL in inclusive environments.