David Berliner argued in 2002 that educational research is the hardest science of all. His arguments addressed the complexity that context plays in educational settings and the difficulties of applying research designs that were largely developed and refined in the natural sciences arena to fields of human behavior. In this article, it is argued that in the broad domain of educational research, special education research and, in particular, inquiry in the field of emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD), is one of the most challenging types of educational research. Numerous substantive barriers, along with an endless number of contextual factors, create obstacles for researchers who want to conduct randomized controlled trials as well as other kinds of intervention studies in this subfield of special education research. Therefore, this article presents mixed research as offering alternative yet rigorous approaches for scientists who are working to improve outcomes for children with EBD and their families. In addition to providing a brief introduction to mixed research, the basic design tenets of these models are described and considered in the context of research that addresses the educational and social challenges confronting students with EBD and their families and teachers. Finally, an example study is described to demonstrate the application of mixed research to the EBD field.