at Hunter College in New York City, and she completed her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree at Cornell University in 1947 with B. W. Jones as thesis advisor.
Beginning in the 1960s Mary Dolciani wrote a series of high school mathematics textbook, Structure and Method, which in 2000 - 2010 has experienced a resurgence of popularity.
In addition to teaching the pure mathematics, it emphasized the usefulness of algebra in various practical applications.
Although Dolciani is not well known by the general public, she was influential in developing the basic modern method used for teaching basic algebra in the United States (called "Dolciani algebra", which teaches it on the basis of drill like arithmetic, rather than on the basis of proofs as in Euclidean geometry).
The Mathematical Association of America has given the Mary P. Dolciani Award annually since 2012 for distinguished contributions to teaching,[1] and the American Mathematical Society has given a different award, the Mary P. Dolciani Prize for Excellence in Research, every other year beginning in 2019.