The education of students with special needs is an area which continues to evolve as teachers and administrators strive to provide the most appropriate learning environment for children. A paucity of information exists regarding the needs of female students in special education. This study compared female students with special needs at two residential treatment facilities which were similar except that one was a single gender girls-only facility while the other housed both boys and girls. The major goal of this study was to evaluate and to compare the quality of the learning environment between the single-gender and mixed-gender situations. The Flanders' System for Interaction Analysis and individual one on one interviews with female students revealed dramatic differences between single-gender and mixed-gender classroom settings. Girls in a single-gender residential treatment facility felt nurtured by their teachers, demonstrated respect for their peers, and were positive about the learning environment. In marked contrast, girls in a mixed-gender residential treatment facility faced an authoritative, punishment-based classroom environment, were subjected to derision and disrespect from their classmates, and were subjected to a learning environment in which the teacher was unable to present curriculum and was unable to manage disruptive behavior in the classroom. While more research into the benefits of single-gender classroom settings is required, this study demonstrated that such settings have merit in particular situations. Further research is necessary that examines educational settings of single-gender classes in multiple residential treatment centers for teenagers with special needs to determine if the differences in the settings for these classes were unique or common for many sites. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]