North Carolina had the nation's second-fastest growing immigrant student population in elementary schools in the 1990's. A study says that trend makes it tougher to meet federal academic requirements. Under federal law the new students - even those who don't speak English - still must pass standardized math and reading tests each year. Between 1990 and 2000, the fastest increases in the number of children of immigrants were recorded in Nevada with 206 percent,
followed by North Carolina with 153 percent, Georgia with 148
percent and Nebraska with 125 percent.
