Field based preservice teacher education (FBPTE) is a total university effort, not simply a program of roles to be played by professional educators. It is an optimal mix of early and continuous developmental experiences, sequenced to meet the attitudinal and skill development needs of preservice teachers that occur in realistic educational settings with children. These experiences for preservice teachers are cooperatively planned and evaluated by teachers, administrators, parents, professional educators, and scholars from the various disciplines. In establishing and maintaining an FBPTE program, the university faculties assume eight responsibilities: (1) to identify a rationale for establishing an FBPTE program; (2) to design a program sequence; (3) to identify and select a variety of learning experiences; (4) to design field experiences; (5) to identify sites and participating field agents; (6) to try-evaluate (continous evaluation throughout the program development stages); (7) to provide participant payoff; and (8) to protect the faculty (to be aware of the time/energy factor because FBTE programs are more time and energy consuming than traditional programs). (MM)