The evolution of the structure and ideology of a post-doctoral training program for women and minorities in educational research is described. The program was originally designed following the mentoring model current in social science and feminist literature in the mid-1970s. With experience, however, the program co-directors found that the mentor relationship did not allow for the mutual teaching and learning essential in a new field and that the relationship too often simply replicated the hierarchy characteristic of the traditional and patriarchal research university. Proposed in its place is a program modeled on the collective work and cooperative ideals of feminist theory. (Author/GK)