Blog

Lifelong Learning

Piece by Piece: How Puzzles Shape Young Minds

Discover how puzzles develop critical thinking, memory, and problem-solving skills that translate directly to academic success and lifelong learning.

Academic Approach Tutoring and Test Prep | A long line of cars drives along a winding road through golden, grassy hills under a clear blue sky, with sunlight reflecting off the distant water to the left.

History

Planning a US road trip this year? Here are some lesser-known historical places you can visit in 2026

Skip the tourist traps and discover America’s hidden treasures—from pirate islands and six-toed cats to underground playgrounds and atomic history—on your next road trip.

Academic Approach Tutoring and Test Prep | A man in a dress shirt and tie smiles and points to a page in an open book while sitting across from a teenage boy in a casual shirt, likely tutoring him at a table with more books and a coffee cup.

Meet the Tutor

Meet the Tutor (and Founder): Matthew Pietrafetta

Matthew Pietrafetta founded Academic Approach in 2001 and currently serves as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. He earned his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in English Language and Literature at Columbia University in New York City.

Reading

Love Your Local Library: Resources Students and Parents Can Engage with Today

Your local library isn’t the dusty relic you remember—it’s a vibrant community hub offering everything from 3D printing and author events to free study spaces and digital resources that can transform your student’s learning.

Academic Approach Tutoring and Test Prep | Two people wearing denim jackets sit at a wooden table, studying with open books, colored pencils, sticky notes, and one person writing in a notebook. Their faces are not visible.

Meet the Tutor

Meet the Tutor: Mickey Mangan

Mickey graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in…

Academic Approach Tutoring and Test Prep | A desk with a laptop, notebooks, math worksheets, colored pencils, sticky notes, and a cup holding pens and scissors; worksheets show addition and subtraction problems with numbers and colored stars.

Academics

Secrets from the Girl Who Made the Study Guides

There came a point in high school when the study guides I made for each…

Academic Approach Tutoring and Test Prep | A smartphone mounted on a ring light records a young woman with space buns talking into a microphone, surrounded by colorful lighting and objects on a table, creating video content.

Reading

Are BookTok’s Most Popular Books Actually Good?

BookTok has become the biggest source of book recommendations for teens, but not all viral books are worth the hype. We break down which trending titles your student should skip and which ones are actually worth reading.