Education’s scientific status has been regarded by some with scepticism. We suggest that a common reason for dubious or fallacious beliefs about the scientific nature of Education—some of which we rebut in this chapter—is that almost everyone has personal experiences with education, whether as students, home tutors of their children, or in similar roles. These anecdotal experiences form the basis of layperson views of Education that do not do justice to its scientific practices. In this chapter, we explore the imperative of recognising Education as a distinct social science, and we provide examples that illustrate the nature of educational research and its role in supporting evidence-based policies and educational practices at both the school and teacher education levels. Specifically, we argue for the need to embrace dedicated and rigorous scientific study of educational phenomena rather than ‘doing’ education based on common sense. We argue further that, despite its inherently multi-disciplinary nature, educational research has a distinctive role to play in addressing problems of educational practice, including the most pressing ones related to all students’ learning. Education can transform lives and societies, and educational phenomena are too important to be left to anecdotal evidence or ‘commonsensical’ approaches.