ATLANTA (AP) -- Early reports from a first-of-its kind study of Georgia's pre-kindergarten program show largely positive news about the program.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/Uwfngt) that the study was launched at the request of state lawmakers two years ago. At the time, there were dire predictions about the long-term viability of the lottery-funded pre-k and HOPE scholarship programs.

University of North Carolina researchers followed a random sample of pre-k students during the 2011-2012 school year. They used pre- and post-tests to measure how much the 4-year-olds learned and classroom observations and teacher surveys to assess classroom quality.

Kristin Bernhard, education policy adviser to Gov. Nathan Deal, said that by almost every measure -- including language and mathematics -- the researchers found that students who went through Georgia pre-k fared better than their national peers.